After starting conference play with three straight losses, the Highlanders have bounced back from their early struggles. Wins against Long Beach State, Cal Poly and reigning champions Hawaii brought the Highlanders back to .500. In those victories, UCR has leaned heavily on the Big West Women’s Basketball Player of the Week, senior guard Jordan Webster. Webster’s leadership and abilities on the court help teammates like talented but less experienced sophomore guards Makayla Jackson and Zoe Tillery settle into their starting roles.
Matched up with graduate student guard Jordan Olivares of the Roadrunners, UCR needed Webster to continue her hot streak against Cal State Bakersfield. Early on, UCR’s offense lacked rhythm. The Highlanders looked to use screens and even double screens to find easy looks for their shooters. However, the Roadrunners often looked to switch and trap the ball handler. This baited the Highlanders into cross-court passes that Bakersfield looked to pick off like vultures.
Things would go from bad to worse for UCR as redshirt senior forward Matehya Bryant was dealt two early fouls. Reluctant to take off one of his key players, coach Brad Langston couldn’t risk leaving Bryant in the game. In her absence, junior forward Esther Matarranz was relied upon to provide the inside presence for the Highlanders. After a 3-pointer from Bakersfield’s sophomore forward Julia Riley, UCR called an early timeout.
Looking for a jolt of energy, the Highlanders brought out the full-court press. Despite a pair of steals from fifth-year guard RyAnne Walters, UCR’s pressure was more or less ineffective. A second airball from Jordan Webster summed up the early struggles for the Highlanders. Meanwhile, Jordan Olivares knocked down a pair of triples to give Bakersfield a 22-11 lead after the first ten minutes.
Webster’s shaky start was concerning, but she quickly put those concerns to rest. After intercepting a bad pass, Webster is fouled hard and completes a 3-point play. With Webster’s confidence restored, the Highlanders could finally find their groove. However, the referees were not shy to blow the whistle and it made it hard for either team to gain momentum. After a moving screen call against UCR, Makayla Jackson was visibly upset with the officials. Determined to make up for the call, Jackson stole the ball from sophomore Nseije Ortiz and made the fastbreak layup look easy. Later, Jackson drilled a triple to end the half. Despite Jackson’s best efforts, the Highlanders found themselves down 37-26 at halftime.
At the start of the second half, Jordan Webster and the Highlanders looked like they had a point to prove. It didn’t matter who was defending Webster. With each possession, she relentlessly attacked the basket. She repeatedly scored at will, earned constant trips to the free throw line, and kicked the ball out to open teammates. After Webster assisted Jackson on a corner triple, Bakersfield called a timeout to stop UCR’s 7-0 run.
The Roadrunners were held scoreless in the third quarter until a pair of free throws from Olivares put Bakersfield back on the board. The Highlanders would ride this wave of momentum to a seven-point lead, but for a second time, Olivares brought her team back into the game. A 3-pointer from Bakersfield’s star guard cut the UCR lead in half going into the fourth quarter.
To start the fourth, RyAnne Walters drained a corner triple for UCR. As it again looked like the Highlanders would run away with it, Olivares answered for a third time. Her fourth 3-pointer of the evening kept the Roadrunners in it going into the TV timeout.
Coming out of the break, a bucket from freshman Amourie Porter gave the lead back to the Roadrunners. As the Highlanders were losing their grip on this game, Webster stepped up once again. She drew a foul off a 3-pointer before going 3 for 3 from the line. Then, on her next 3-point attempt, she got the lucky bounce off the rim to put UCR ahead by 3.
After Porter earned a trip to the charity stripe, she split the pair. Down by 2 with less than 30 seconds left in the game, the Roadrunners intentionally fouled Zoe Tillery. With the chance to ice the game, Tillery missed both free throws. With the chance to send the game to overtime, the Roadrunners looked to set up Olivares. She was double-teamed and Bakersfield had to settle for a midrange jumper from Porter. Her shot was too strong and it was none other than Jordan Webster who secured the rebound and win for the Highlanders.
Webster capped off a vintage performance with 31 points. Not only did she set a new career high, she also surpassed 1000 career points with the Highlanders. Overshadowed by Webster’s career day, Jordan Olivares nevertheless had a great performance of her own with a season-high 23. With the win against Cal State Bakersfield, the Highlanders have now matched their total conference wins from last season. Their next game is against Cal State Northridge on Jan. 20. Another strong performance could see Webster earn back-to-back Big West Player of the Week awards.
