OREM, Utah—Grit is something you can't teach. On Saturday against Utah Valley, that's exactly what the UC Riverside Women's Basketball team showed.
In the final game of their seventh straight road game, the Highlanders (4-8) came back from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter, only to come up just short in a 56-53 loss.
"They did not give up," head coach John Margaritis said. "It would have been nice to win, but we also came away from the game with a lot of positives from our effort and how hard we played."
After Margaritis called a timeout three minutes into the fourth down 48-37, the team went on a 10-0 run and forced two turnovers thanks to a full-court press.
Tianna Eaton nailed a three-pointer with 50 seconds left to tie the score at 53. It marked UCR's first three-pointer of the second half. However, Alexis Cortez hit a jumper with 25 seconds left to give the Wolverines the lead and eventual win.
"I'm pleased and proud of them because of how hard they worked," Margaritis said. "We've been battling and losing to teams, but it has been very close in a lot of them."
The team was led by Marina Ewodo and Jannon Otto, who both had double-doubles. Ewodo had 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Otto tallied 14 points and 10 rebounds. Daphne Gnago also had 11 points and seven rebounds.
Margaritis chose to go with a six-man rotation. He felt it was important to have the biggest scoring threats on the floor the entire game.
While the Highlanders shot just 27.8 percent from the floor in the first quarter, they finished with a 14-12 lead by going on a 10-0 run in the middle of the period and playing strong defense.
After Keilanei Cooper drained four three-pointers vs. Weber State on Thursday, she hit two from beyond the arc in the first quarter. The third one she made came just as the buzzer sounded in the second quarter, putting the Highlanders down 24-23 at halftime.
The Wolverines scored almost all of their first half points in the paint, tallying 18 and coming up empty from the three-point line (0-for-4). Utah Valley didn't hit its first three-pointer until a little over seven minutes into the third quarter.
UCR went cold coming out of the half, going 0-for-6, before Otto hit a jumper to break the streak. That stretch allowed Utah Valley to take an eight point lead and have the Highlanders finish the third quarter down 41-35.
After totaling just four points in the paint in the first half, one of the biggest offensive adjustments the Highlanders made in the second half was scoring 18 points in the paint.
The team will now face New Mexico State at home on Dec. 28, marking the first time it has played at the SRC Arena since Nov. 18. Big West Conference play begins for the Highlanders on Jan. 5 vs. UC Davis at home.
"If we can hold serve at home, going on the road during conference will not catch us by surprise and all of this traveling could wind up being a benefit," said Margaritis.
