UC Riverside
UC Irvine
Highlanders Push Winning Streak To A Baker's Dozen, 50-35, Over UCI
2/28/2009 5:01:55 PM | Women's Basketball
UC Riverside 50, UC Irvine 35 - Box Score
The UC Riverside Women's Basketball Team traveled to UC Irvine Saturday afternoon with a 12-game winning streak in tow and a 12-1 mark in the Big West. And they were looking to keep pace with UC Santa Barbara who earlier in the day defeated Cal State Northridge, 56-48, to improve to 13-1 in conference. A smothering defensive effort in the second half limited the Anteaters to 15 points in the period, and the Highlanders walked away with a 50-35 win.
Those 35 points allowed were the fewest ever allowed by UCR in the team's Division I history and the fewest allowed since the Highlanders limited San Francisco State to 30 on November 23, 1996 in a 48-30 win.
The first half saw seven lead changes and three ties as neither team was able to take control. The Highlanders used an 8-0 run to close the period to take a 24-20 lead into the locker room. Roney Friend scored all six of her first-half points during the run and her blocked shot in the first was the 100th of her Highlanders career. Kemie Nkele paced UCR with eight points in the period.
The Highlanders opened the second in much the same way that they ended the first scoring 9 of the first 12 points of the period to lead 33-23 with 15:19 remaining. Both teams hit a cold spell for the next four minutes as the next basket wasn't recorded until Nkele nailed a three with 10:56 left on the clock. That pushed the UCR lead to 13, and they extended it to 19 six minutes later after a three-ball by Jazzmin Lewis made it 48-29.
Nkele led all scorers with 14 points on the day and Seyram Gbewonyo added 10. UC Irvine's Kelly Cochran missed out on a double-double by one rebound scoring 11 points and grabbing nine boards.
The Highlanders have two more games left on the schedule including a February 5 matchup with UC Santa Barbara at the Student Recreation Center on February 5. Tip time is 7 pm.
GAME NOTES
The win was the Highlanders 13th conference win of the season establishing a new program record.
UCR In The Big West
2008-09 13-1 .929
2006-07 12-2 .857
2001-02 12-4 .750
The win was also the 13th consecutive win for UC Riverside - the longest such streak in the history of the program.
Longest UCR Winning Streaks
2008-09 - 13
1973 - 10
1974 - 10
Kemie Nkele needs 21points to become the second player in Highlanders history to score 2,000 or more points.
Kemie Nkele needs 18 boards to pass Donna Hammond-Mares (1,075) in first place on the Highlanders career rebounding list.
Rone’y Friend recorded the 100th block of her UCR career in the first half. She ranks third on the Highlanders career blocked shots list behind Donna Hammond-Mares (112) and Kemie Nkele (268).
