Box Score Riverside- The UC Riverside Women's Basketball Team extended its win-streak to five, after taking down Big West frontrunner Long Beach State, 80-74 Saturday evening. The Highlanders have improved their Big West record to 6-3.

The entire 40 minutes of play were nothing short of exciting. The Highlanders jumped out to an early 10 point lead in the first half, but it wouldn't take long for Long Beach State to tie the game. That seemed to be the tune the rest of the night. UC Riverside would lead Long Beach by as many as 11 points but the Highlanders were never able to maintain such a distance.

After committing her fourth foul two minutes into the second half, the third leading scorer in the nation, Brittany Crain, was forced to head to the bench for the next five minutes. It was the longest stretch Crain has sat out after playing 39 minutes or more the last seven games. Five minutes could not hold back the top scorer in the conference as Crain led the Highlanders with 27 points, hitting 13-of-17 from the charity stripe. UCR was clutch from the free-throw line all game, making 79.4 percent of their shots. In the second half alone, the Highlanders made good on 18-of-19 attempts.

Freshman Michelle Curry has now scored in double-digit figures in the last five games, including a career-high 20 points tonight against the Beach. She also recorded a game-high 10 rebounds giving her a double-double, for her third of the year. Curry's rebounds contributed to the Highlanders victory under the glass, outrebounding the Beach 34-28. Curry was just three assists away from recording a triple-double. Rounding out the top scorers for UCR was Annelise Ito with 18 points, draining all four of her free-throw attempts, and pulling down seven boards.

The last seven minutes of the game shifted from a four-point lead to a two-point lead for the Highlanders as the pressure mounted to respond to Long Beach's offensive urgency. UC Riverside's consistent offense continued into the remaining minutes as the Highlanders kept composure, dominating the free-throw line.

Long Beach State was led by Lauren Spargo with 17 points. Right behind her was Anna Kim with 16. Three other teammates scored in double-digits including Devin Hudson with 11, Hallie Meneses with 10, and Chentel Spargo with 10.

The Highlanders are back in action in the SRC Thursday, Feb. 12 at 7 pm PT as they take on Hawai'i for the second time this season.