Riverside—The UC Riverside Women's Basketball gets the 2016-17 regular season underway Friday, November 11 against San Diego State in a 5 pm tip-off at the SRC Arena.
In their exhibition match-up versus Cal Baptist University, UCR got 28 points from Réjane Vérin to lead three players in double figures in its, 80-74, victory (
box score /
play-by-play).
The Highlanders were picked to finish second by the media and third by the coaches in the Big West preseason poll. While senior forward Réjane Vérin (17.0 ppg) was named to the Preseason All-Conference Team (
Big West Preseason Poll).
2016 Conference Coach of the Year John Margaritis returns three starters from a team that won a school record 23 games, and went 16-0 in conference in capturing the regular season Big West title.
All-Conference honorees Simone DeCoud (2nd Team) and Michelle Curry (Honorable Mention) join Inara Nyingifa, Diamond Machabie, and Clemence Lefevbre as returners along with Vérin.
New to the squad are transfers
Malou De Kergret (Le Bios Piage En Re, France),
Adaora Obi (Mission Hills, CA), and freshmen
Jalyn Clay (Houston, TX / Tomball Memorial HS),
Marina Ewodo (Pau, France / LJ Mermoz Montpellier HS), and
Skyler Lewis (Grand Terrace, CA / Grand Terrace HS), who sat out last season, as did Portland State transfer
Lauren Holt (San Jose, CA / Leigh HS).
San Diego State was picked to finish seventh out of 11 teams in the Mountain West Conference. Last season they finished eighth, and concluded the season with a quarterfinal exit in the conference tournament resulting in their second straight 12-19 finish.
The Aztecs return their leading scorer from a year ago in guard McKenzie Fort, who averaged 14.4 points a game and was named to the Mountain West All-Conference Defensive Team last season. Areill Bostick's averages of 4.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game from last season are tops among the returners.
SDSU finished 10th in the league in rebounding margin (-3.4), and were without a player among the top-20. This year's version of the Aztecs contains four newcomers six-feet tall or above, highlighted by 6-6
freshman Naomi Ekwedike of Nigeria.
In last year's meeting, the Highlanders prevailed 85-68 behind Vérin's game-high 22 points, Annelise Ito's 18, and Brittany Crain's 16. Fort had 25 points at Viejas Arena, where the Aztecs went to the charity stripe 36 times—six more than any other UCR opponent all of last season (
box score/
recap).
