The UC Riverside women’s basketball team lost to Boise State, 55-63, in Boise, Idaho. Going into this ball game, the Highlanders had to face some tough opponents in Southern Methodist University and UCLA. UCR looked to get their first win of the season against a Broncos team that was 2-0 to start their season.
The offense clicked in the first quarter as back-to-back 3-pointers from senior guard Jordan Webster and sophomore guard Makayla Jackson put UC Riverside up 8-2 early in the game. The defense was stifling early on led by redshirt senior forward Matehya Bryant, who had two steals and a block in the first quarter alone. Both teams continued to go back and forth in the first quarter, which was capped off by a 3-pointer from senior guard Julia Stenberg. Boise State came down the other end with a 3-pointer of their own to bring the score to 15-13 at the end of the first.
The Broncos took their first lead of the game early in the second quarter as guard Natalie Pasco knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to give Boise State a 19-17 lead. For the Highlanders, Bryant started to carry the load offensively as she scored eight straight points to keep UCR in the game. It started with a hook shot to tie the game up at 19. After getting a block on the defensive end, Bryant sank in a jumper to give UC Riverside a 22-19 lead. A couple of possessions later, Bryant finished another layup to maintain a three-point lead for the Highlanders. Boise State was able to take control of the lead down the stretch of the quarter but sophomore guard Zoe Tillery answered with a 3-pointer to give UCR the lead right back. With 36 seconds left until halftime, Jackson was able to get a steal and finished a layup to give UC Riverside a 30-28 lead at the half.
The Highlanders came out aggressive to start the second half as Webster knocked down a 3-pointer and a layup to give UCR a 37-30 lead. Bryant continued her stellar defensive game by recording another steal and block to open up the third quarter. With 6:18 on the clock, Bryant stole the ball once again and finished the transition layup to push the score to 39-32. However, UC Riverside seemed to become stale near the end of the quarter as they started to turn the ball over and couldn’t make baskets. After holding a six-point lead with 3:14 left in the quarter, the Broncos started to make a run to narrow the lead. Boise State was able to get to the free-throw line, which started to slow the game down and the Broncos started to catch a rhythm offensively. With under a minute left in the third quarter, guard Mary Kay Naro sunk in a jumper plus the foul to close the deficit to within two, 42-40, entering the fourth quarter.
It was all Boise State in the fourth quarter as they carried their momentum from the last quarter to finish the game strong. A 3-pointer from guard Mya Hansen gave the Broncos the lead once again, 42-43. After a steal, Naro was able to finish a layup to give Boise State a three-point lead. The Highlanders responded with buckets of their own but the suffocating defense they once had seemed to have broken down. Down by five with 2:25 left in the game, fifth-year guard RyAnne Walters turned the ball over, in which Pasco knocked down a huge 3-pointer to extend the Boise State lead to eight, 47-55, with under two minutes to go. UC Riverside was unable to respond on the other end and with under one minute to go, Pasco put the game away with another 3-pointer to push the lead into the double digits. With time running out, Boise State was able to secure the win 63-55 over UC Riverside.
Webster led the way for the Highlanders with 17 points, six rebounds and two assists. Bryant had an all-around game with 14 points, nine rebounds, six blocks and five steals.
UC Riverside drops down to 0-3 to start the season and will face Utah State at home on Wed, Nov. 22, at 4 p.m.
