Roadrunners 72 – Highlanders 66
The Highlanders could not seal the deal on the road against non-Big West opponent CSU Bakersfield on Wednesday, Jan. 18. The defeat extended their losing streak to nine games. The Highlanders fell to 2-16 in the season, while the Roadrunners improved to 4-18 for the season. Highlander Natasha Hadley led the team in points with 19 points, while teammate Jamila Williams had a double-double and a career-high 13 points and added 14 rebounds.
The Highlanders got out to another early start thanks to a 9-0 run, which had them leading in the game, 12-3 in the first 3:17 minutes of the game. The Roadrunners responded with a massive 21-4 run which saw them take a lead of 24-16. The Highlanders battled back and managed to get the game tied at the end of the half with the score deadlocked at 32-32.
In the second half, the Highlanders went up by seven points at 45-38 with 14:02 remaining. The Highlanders continued to press on and managed to extend their lead to nine, 57-48, with 6:29 remaining. However, the Roadrunners went on a 12-4 run and closed the gap to just one with the Highlanders leading 61-60 with 4:17 left to play. With five quick points on two possessions, the Roadrunners took a 67-63 lead with just 41 seconds left. Highlander Tre’Shonti Nottingham’s three-pointer to cut the lead to one, 67-66. That was the closest the Highlanders would get. In the last 33 seconds of regulation, the Highlanders had no luck on the offense side and the game got away as the Roadrunners converted on their free-throws. The final score was 72-66 as the Roadrunners took the victory in this non-league match-up.
Highlanders 69 – Titans 65
On Saturday, Jan. 21, the UC Riverside women’s basketball team pulled off a 69-65 home victory against CSU Fullerton after blowing a seven-point lead they had at the half. Highlander TréShonti Nottingham scored the last five of six points to put the Highlanders back in command and held off the Titans’ offense in the last minutes to secure the win. The win ended the Highlanders’ nine-game losing streak and was their first win in conference play. UC Riverside improved to 3-16 overall, and 1-6 in league, while CSU Fullerton fell to 8-10 overall and 1-5 in league.
The Highlanders got off to a very hot start in this game and they opened the game with a 6-0 run in the first 1:34. The Highlanders were shooting well at 70 percent from the floor and would go on to extend their lead to 15 points on three different occasions in the first half. The Titans went on a run of their own and closed the Highlander lead to 34-29 with 5:35 remaining in the first half. The Highlanders responded with a 6-1 run of their own to gain back their lead. At the end of the half, the Highlanders found themselves with a seven-point lead with the score at 42-35.
In the second half, the Highlanders saw their lead evaporate as the Titans came in waves to cut down the Highlander lead and eventually tied the game at 55-55 with 8:52 remaining. On the Titans next possession, Lauren Chow hit the three from beyond the arc to give her team its first lead of the game, 58-55. With 1:44 left in the game, the Titans held a 65-63 lead, where Highlander Nottingham took over the game on the offensive side to give the Highlanders the victory, 69-65. The Highlander defense did extremely well in the final minute, causing the Titans to turn over the ball twice and miss two of their shots. Nottingham led the Highlanders with 23 points and the team hit 55 percent of their shots as a whole.
