The UC Riverside women’s basketball team defeated Cal State Northridge 70-46 Saturday night in the SRC Arena. Going into this ball game, the Highlanders won their past five of seven games but lost their previous two games. After losing a heartbreaking game to Long Beach State the game before, UCR looked to get back into the win column against a Matador team that has yet to win a game in Big West Conference play this season.
Both teams went back-and-forth to open the game as redshirt senior forward Matehya Bryant scored the first six points for the Highlanders. Defensively, UC Riverside was able to force six turnovers which led to easy points in transition and more opportunities on offense. After a steal from sophomore guard Jordyn Marshall, she found junior forward Esther Matarranz for the transition layup to give UCR a 13-9 lead with 2:20 left in the first quarter. Moments later, senior guard Jordan Webster attacked the paint and finished a layup to extend the Highlander lead to six. With time winding down in the first quarter, fifth-year guard RyAnne Walters found junior guard Jaden Sanderson for the mid-range jump shot to give UC Riverside a 17-9 lead at the end of the quarter.
The Highlanders jumped out to an 8-0 run to open up the second quarter led by a combination of Bryant, Matarranz and Walters. Matarranz was able to find Bryant for a layup to score the first points of the quarter, and Walters was able to find Matarranz for a layup moments later. After forcing a turnover on CSUN, Walters knocked down a 3-pointer to give UCR a 25-9 lead. However, the Matadors went on a 9-2 run to get themselves back into the ball game. The Highlanders started to get loose with the basketball and Cal State Northridge was able to capitalize on those opportunities to cut into the deficit. With 54 seconds left until the half, Marshall was able to go coast-to-coast and finish the transition layup to give UC Riverside a 29-18 lead at halftime.
Both teams exchanged buckets to open up the third quarter. The duo of Walters and Bryant started to shred the Matador defense and they both created opportunities for the other to score. After sophomore guard Makayla Jackson got a steal, Walters drove inside the paint and finished a layup to give UCR a 35-22 lead. Soon afterward, Bryant forced a steal and found Webster on the fastbreak to give UC Riverside a 15-point lead. CSUN was able to chip away the lead but the Highlanders were able to maintain a double-digit lead throughout most of the quarter. Walters continued to showcase her veteran experience as she commanded the UCR offense and was stifling on the defensive side of the basketball. With 39 seconds left in the quarter, Matarranz found Jackson for a 3-pointer that put the Highlanders up by 12 points. After forcing another CSUN turnover, Walters found Bryant inside the paint for a layup to give UCR a 48-34 lead at the end of the third quarter.
UC Riverside pulled away in the fourth quarter as they outscored Cal State Northridge 22-12 in the quarter. They opened up the quarter on a 12-2 run to balloon the lead out of control. Jackson started to find her shooting stroke as she knocked down three of her four threes in the quarter. Bryant also continued to score inside the post and knocked down a barrage of mid-range jump shots to push the UCR lead into the twenties. With time winding down, Bryant found senior guard India Aikins for the easy layup to put the finishing touches on the game as the Highlanders comfortably won 70-46.
Bryant led the way for UCR with 20 points, six rebounds and six assists. Jackson had a solid game with 12 points on 4-7 shooting from 3-point range. Walters contributed with 11 points, six rebounds and six assists.
The Highlanders improve to 11-10 (6-5) on the season and will take on Cal State Bakersfield on Thursday, Feb. 8, at 11:00 a.m.
