Riverside, CA—For the first time since 2008, when the Highlanders upset #16 Vanderbilt
50-47, the UC Riverside Women's basketball team will host a ranked team. Monday, December 28 at 7pm, the #19 UCLA Bruins will be in town to the face the Highlanders at the SRC Arena. (
San Bernardino Strong Night)
Both teams boast some of the premier scorers in the nation with UCR's Brittany Crain leading the Big West at 18.1 points per game, and UCLA's Jordin Canada's ranking third in the Pac-12 at 18.8 points per contest.
The Highlanders (6-6) are coming off their top offensive performance of the year, a 92-70 win over Seattle University on Monday. (
box score/
recap)
Rejane Verin scored a career-high 27 points, grabbed a season-high 11 rebounds, dished out 4 assists, and picked up a career-high tying 5 steals in 38 minutes.
Monday's double double was Verin's second of the season. She is averaging 18.5 points, and 9 rebounds over the last 2 games.
Simone DeCoud scored a season-high 21 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, handed out 2 assists, and picked 4 steals in 30 minutes.
Crain, who had 16 points in Monday's win, is
23rd in the nation with 32 made threes, and is averaging 6.3 rebounds a game over her last 7 games.
In all six of the Highlander's victories this season, they have scored 81 or more points. They are 6-1 in games when they have crossed that threshold, with the lone loss coming at Oregon, 95-81.
Six different players have scored 15 or more points in a game this season. Brittany Crain (8x), Rejane Verin (8x), Annelise Ito (4x), Clemence Lefebvre (2x), Michelle Curry (1x), and Simone DeCoud (1x).
In the five games that three players have scored 15 or more points, UCR is 4-1.
UC Riverside ranks just outside the top-10 in the nation in assists per game with 18.5, as they are
11th, while UCLA is 50th with 16.2.
UCLA (7-3) was defeated at #21 Cal—Monday, December 21, in a 108-104, double overtime thriller.
Their other two defeats came against the 2nd (South Carolina 68-65) and 3rd (Norte Dame 92-84) ranked teams in the nation.
UCLA's scoring offense ranks
11th in the nation at 84.4 points a game. In their last two games they're averaging 106.5 points a game—the double overtime loss to Cal, and a 109-76 win over Sacramento State in regulation.
Canada, who had 28 points and eight assists in Monday's loss, leads the Bruin scoring attack and is
19th in the nation with 6.1 assists per game.
As a team they rank
18th nationally, averaging a 10.6 rebound margin over their opponents.
Nirra Fields is second on the team in scoring at 17.3 a game, and is one of three Bruins averaging over seven rebounds (7.5) a game. Monique Billings averages 14.2 points and 8.1 rebounds a game, while Kacy Swain leads the team in rebounding, pulling down 8.5 a game.
The teams have two common opponents, and have similar results against them. Both have lost at Cal (UCR
64-58), and defeated CSU Bakersfield at home—UCLA won, 82-68, and UCR prevailed, 81-61, over the Roadrunners.
UCLA leads the all-time series 11-2 (
view results), and won last year's match-up, 57-43, in Los Angeles. (
box score/
recap)
Grand Canyon University (6-7) has three players averaging double figures, Cheyenne Hedrington (12.3), Jessica Gajewski (11.6), and Courtney Hayes (10.1).
The Lopes have won four out of their last five games, and were victorious in their last game against Northern Colorado, 69-59, on December 21st.
UCR leads the overall series 12-3, and have won five of the last six meetings, the last of which took place in December of 2000. (
view results)
Grand Canyon University hosts San Diego Christian College on Wednesday, December 30, before welcoming the Highlanders, Saturday, January 2nd, at 3pm PT.
