Women's Basketball Opens 2014-15 Regular Season Hosting Santa Clara Friday At 5 PM

Highlanders vs Santa Clara

Riverside, CA—The UC Riverside Women's Basketball Team opens the 2014-15 regular season on Friday, November 14 hosting Santa Clara for a 5 pm PT tip at the SRC Arena.

The Highlanders won both their preseason games this year by an average of 17 points, defeating California Baptist University, 88-78 (recap), and Cal Poly Pomona, 86-62 (recap).

UC Riverside and Santa Clara faced each other last season in a 90-80 overtime thriller that went in favor of the blue and gold (box score/recap). Brittany Crain poured in a career-high 37 points in the victory while Simone DeCoud added 20 points. UC Riverside is 2-1 all-time against SCU, but prior to the 2013 match-up the teams had not played one another since the 1970s (view all-time results).

Crain earned Big West All-Conference First-Team honors one year ago following her sophomore campaign which saw her lead the league in scoring at 19.2 points per game. DeCoud was named Big West Freshman of the Year and to the All-Freshman Team after finishing second on the squad averaging 11.9 ppg.

Santa Clara ended the 2013-14 season with a 10-20 overall mark and a 6-12 record in the West Coast Conference. Nici Gilday was SCU's leading scorer one year ago averaging 17.1 points per game.