Thursday, February 26
Fullerton, CA
7:00 PM
UC Riverside
65
at
55
Cal State Fullerton
Photo by: Bobby R. Hester, (c) 2009
Highlanders Withstand Late Titan Rally for 65-55 Win
2/26/2009 8:59:26 PM | Women's Basketball
Box Score
Fullerton, CA – The UC Riverside women’s basketball team withstood a second-half rally by Cal State Fullerton to claim their 12th consecutive victory, 65-55, on Thursday evening in Big West Conference action at Titan Gym in Fullerton. UCR improves to 17-9 on the year and 12-1 in conference play, sharing a lead of first place with rival UC Santa Barbara.
UCR had a 24-point lead heading into the second half of play, but needed all those points as the Titans (7-18, 4-10) outscored the Highlanders by 14 points in the half. Cal State Fullerton’s Megan Richardson hit three consecutive three-pointers within a one minute span to bring the Titans to within seven points with 54 seconds remaining, the closest they had been since the beginning of the first half. UCR then hit three free throws to push the lead back to double digits as they held on for the win.
Kemie Nkele (San Diego, CA) led UCR with 21 points and eight rebounds, while Seyram Gbewonyo (Sylmar, CA) added 17 points and Ronéy Friend (Los Angeles, CA) had 10 points and eight boards.
The first half was vastly different as the Highlanders started the game red-hot, connecting on 83.3 percent (5-of-6) of their shots including 3-of-3 from beyond the arc within the first four and a half minutes of play. UCR held the Titans scoreless between the 11:20 thru 4:28 mark as they opened up a 25-point lead with 2:49 remaining off a Gbewonyo three-pointer. UCR closed out the half shooting a blistering 64.0 percent while holding Cal State Fullerton to just 27.6 percent.
UCR's win is their 12th straight and 14 of their last 15. They are now in a tie for first place in the Big West with UC Santa Barbara. The Highlanders only have one day off, though, as they return to action on Saturday, Feb. 28 in a 4:00 pm Big West Conference tilt with UC Irvine in Irvine, CA. Live audio streaming is available at gohighlanders.com.
Fullerton, CA – The UC Riverside women’s basketball team withstood a second-half rally by Cal State Fullerton to claim their 12th consecutive victory, 65-55, on Thursday evening in Big West Conference action at Titan Gym in Fullerton. UCR improves to 17-9 on the year and 12-1 in conference play, sharing a lead of first place with rival UC Santa Barbara.
UCR had a 24-point lead heading into the second half of play, but needed all those points as the Titans (7-18, 4-10) outscored the Highlanders by 14 points in the half. Cal State Fullerton’s Megan Richardson hit three consecutive three-pointers within a one minute span to bring the Titans to within seven points with 54 seconds remaining, the closest they had been since the beginning of the first half. UCR then hit three free throws to push the lead back to double digits as they held on for the win.
Kemie Nkele (San Diego, CA) led UCR with 21 points and eight rebounds, while Seyram Gbewonyo (Sylmar, CA) added 17 points and Ronéy Friend (Los Angeles, CA) had 10 points and eight boards.
The first half was vastly different as the Highlanders started the game red-hot, connecting on 83.3 percent (5-of-6) of their shots including 3-of-3 from beyond the arc within the first four and a half minutes of play. UCR held the Titans scoreless between the 11:20 thru 4:28 mark as they opened up a 25-point lead with 2:49 remaining off a Gbewonyo three-pointer. UCR closed out the half shooting a blistering 64.0 percent while holding Cal State Fullerton to just 27.6 percent.
UCR's win is their 12th straight and 14 of their last 15. They are now in a tie for first place in the Big West with UC Santa Barbara. The Highlanders only have one day off, though, as they return to action on Saturday, Feb. 28 in a 4:00 pm Big West Conference tilt with UC Irvine in Irvine, CA. Live audio streaming is available at gohighlanders.com.
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