UC Riverside
UC Irvine
Highlanders Improve to 10-9 with 64-43 Win Against the Anteaters
1/29/2009 3:54:52 PM | Women's Basketball
(Riverside, CA) – Kemie Nkele (San Diego, CA) scored a game-high 22 points to lead three players in double figures as the UC Riverside women's basketball team defeated UC Irvine (4-16, 1-6) 64-43 in Big West Conference action on Thursday night at the Student Recreation Center in Riverside. The win pushes UCR’s record to 10-9, 6-1 – the first time the team has been above the .500 mark this season.
UC Irvine scored the first basket of the game, but it was all Highlander after that as UCR scored the next eight points and never trailed. UC Riverside led by as many 18 points in the first and entered the locker room at the half with an 12-point advantage.
UCR opened the second half strong by outscoring UCI 12-2 as they quickly built a 22-point lead, 44-22, off a three-pointer by Chanel Foster (Tustin, CA) at the 16:41 mark. The Highlanders then kept the lead around the 20-point mark for the remainder of the game as they went on to claim the victory.
The Highlanders forced the Anteaters into 22 turnovers and held them to 31.7 percent shooting from the floor. UCR shot 46.9 percent from the field and a season-high 63.6 percent (7-of-11) from three-point range.
Nkele led all scores with 22 points on 5-of-11 shooting, including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. Roney Friend (Los Angeles, CA) scored 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting, while Foster scored a season-high 10 points on 4-of-7 from the field.The Highlanders return to the court on Saturday, Jan. 31 as they take on Cal State Fullerton in Big West Conference action at 5:00 pm at the Student Recreation Center in Riverside. Live game coverage is available online at www.gohighlanders.com.
