On Thursday evening, the University of California, Riverside (UCR) women’s basketball team traveled west to take on California State University, Long Beach (CSULB). These two teams faced each other once earlier this season in Riverside. CSULB won that matchup 63-48, but each team entered Thursday’s tilt on opposite sides of the coin.
The Highlanders were coming off back-to-back wins against UC Davis and UC Santa Barbara, two teams ahead of them in the standings. Another win would continue UCR’s ascension up the Big West standings.
On the other hand, CSULB were hot to start Big West conference play, but have cooled down since. They had lost five of their last six games going into this one. Pressure was mounting on star senior guard Savannah Tucker and graduate forward Rachel Loobie to get the team back on track.
Tucker and the Beach meant business early on. A Tucker layup put CSULB up 7-0 in the early minutes. Rather than call an early timeout, UCR head coach Brad Langston allowed his team to find their groove and they did just that.
Junior guard Makayla Rose used her signature blow by move for an easy layup. Then, graduate guard Seneca Hackley knocked down a deep 3-pointer to get the Highlanders back into it.
Rose and Tucker were matched up on each other once again tonight. The pair continued to trade buckets in the first quarter just like they had earlier in the season. Rose, one of the conference’s best defenders, had her hands full with Tucker, the top scorer in the Big West.
Both Rose and Tucker lead their respective teams in minutes played this season and fans of both sides knew the spotlight would be on these two all game. Both teams kept trading blows as Rose and Tucker went head-to-head.
The high-scoring first quarter ended 21-21. Looking to add some defense, Langston substituted junior guard Jordyn Marshall. She typically makes her presence felt on the defensive end. However, she also made contributions on offense, helping the Highlanders stay in this shootout.
To start the second, Marshall drew an offensive foul against Loobie, firing up her teammates. The energy from Marshall’s defensive play translated to UCR’s offense. The Highlanders quickly swung the ball around, not letting the Beach set up defensively.
UCR’s rapid ball movement combined with CSULB’s unwillingness to give UCR guards Seneca Hackley and Kaylani Polk any room to shoot from distance, left the Beach scrambling defensively. This opened up space inside for senior forward Esther Matarranz and sophomore forward Maya Chocano for easy buckets.
Meanwhile, the Big West’s best scorer kept doing her things. Tucker swished a deep triple, her thousandth career point with the Beach. She received a huge ovation from the crowd and her milestone gave CSULB the momentum to counter the UCR energy.
Despite Tucker’s milestone basket, Rose made her presence felt to end the first half. She blew by her defender once more for another layup. Then, she intercepted a lazy pass and glided her way to the other end of the court to put away the fastbreak layup.
Rose’s efforts gave the Highlanders a one-point lead going into halftime, but this game was looking more and more like it could go either way.
UCR started the second half off hot, going on a 10-2 scoring run. However, the Beach reeled the Highlanders back in with a couple blocks and a handful of other strong defensive plays. CSULB retook the lead, and a layup in transition from freshman forward Mykelle Richards gave the Beach a 55-52 lead going into the fourth quarter.
In the clutch, the experience of the Beach paid dividends. Loobie, Tucker and fellow senior guard Patricia Chung turned it on in the fourth. But it was freshman guard JaQuoia Jones-Brown who iced the game for the Beach.
Jones-Brown hit a tough jumper over the much taller junior forward Shelley Duchemin. She followed that up with a pair of clutch free throws to put away the game as the Beach would go on to win 75-69.
After losing to CSULB, the Highlanders traveled back home to host California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly SLO) on Saturday. The Mustangs shot a whopping 60 percent from the field, but the Highlanders managed to secure a 74-63 win.
Despite not shooting as well as their opponents, UCR limited their mistakes, heavily outscoring Cal Poly SLO in points off turnovers, 33-8. Duchemin led the Highlanders offensively with 20 points while Rose chipped in with four steals on defense.
Saturday’s win improved UCR’s Big West record to 9-8. However, things won’t get any easier for the Highlanders. This week, they’ll host star point guard Lily Wahinekapu and the 14-2 Hawaii Rainbow Wahine on Thursday, Feb. 27.
