Riverside, CA – Facing UC Santa Barbara (8-14, 5-5) Thursday night in the annual Play4Kay pink game, the UC Riverside Women's Basketball Team (7-17, 4-6) held on for an 84-76 victory, thanks in large part to a career-high 30 points from senior guard Michelle Curry.
KEY RUNS
Curry started the game aggressive, going for 11 first quarter points (5-6 FG). The Highlanders would stay hot early on, connecting on 66.7 percent (18-27 FG) of their first half shot attempts to take a 45-35 lead into the half. However, the Gauchos' outside shooting helped keep them in it, as they went 7-for-15 (.467) over the first 20 minutes.
UC Santa Barbara opened the second half with 10 unanswered points, tying things up at 45-45. Following an Aliceah Hernandez triple with 8:30 to go in the game, the visitors would take their first lead of the second half, 60-59.
There were six lead changes and four ties in the fourth quarter alone, before a Lauren Holt pull-up jumper with less than two minutes left began an 8-0 Highlander run to put the home side up 81-73.
Several late Gaucho turnovers and a perfect 4-for-4 mark on free throws by Curry over the final minute helped ice things, ending a four-game skid for UCR.
GAME NOTES
Curry shot an efficient 10-for-15 (.667) from the field and 9-for-11 (.818) from the charity stripe to reach 30 points for the first time in her career. That mark was good for UCR's second-highest scoring total of the season, and Curry's fifth 20-point game of the year.
The Los Angeles native just missed out on a double-double, also adding 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals.
Despite a slow start, senior Lauren Holt finished strong, knocking down all three of her fourth quarter shot attempts. She finished as UCR's second-leading scorer with 15 points, tallying 7 in the final period alone.
Holt – who was honored before the game in a special ceremony for reaching 1,000 career points several weeks ago – has now scored in double-figures in 17 consecutive games. The only other Highlanders in the Division I era to achieve that feat are Brittany Crain, Réjane Vérin, Chrystal Harris and Amy Houchens.
The Highlanders' 84 points set a new conference season-high. They have now come away victorious in four of their last five games at SRC Arena.
UC Riverside will head back on the road this Saturday to take on UC Irvine at 2:00 p.m.
