RIVERSIDE, Calif.—So many times this season the UC Riverside Women's Basketball team has been on the losing end of close games. That wasn't the case Friday night against New Mexico State.
In a back and forth contest, in which their were four ties and 10 lead changes, it was the Highlanders (5-8) who showed poise and strength down the stretch to beat the Aggies 65-64.
"The bottom line is that we played hard for all 40 minutes," head coach John Margaritis said. "We made stops when we needed to and were able to come away with the victory."
After a seven-game road stretch, in which they hadn't played a home game in over a month and lost four of the five games by eight points or less, the team responded in resounding fashion at the SRC Arena.
A sequence in the last two minutes told the story of the game. Down by one point, Jannon Otto scored on a layup, before Daphne Gnago blocked a shot by Gia Pack with a minute left that would have given the Aggies the momentum and the lead. The Highlanders also had two steals in the final two minutes.
UCR was led on the offensive end by Otto and Malou De Kergret, who combined to score 41 points. Otto was on fire at the end of the game, hitting eight of her last nine field goals to finish with a season-high 23 points.
De Kergret had seven of her 18 points in the fourth quarter, going 3-for-3 from the field and hitting an important three-pointer with the team down by four points and a little over four minutes left.
"She is starting to find a role in what we are doing and it is helping us in a big way," Margaritis said. "When she plays well it has a huge affect on our team."
The second period marked the Highlanders' most dominant quarter of the game, outscoring the Aggies 25-11 and going into halftime with a 39-36 lead. Much of it had to do with Otto, who was perfect from the field (3-for-3) and the free throw line (5-for-5).
"Jannon stepped up," Margaritis said. "We needed everyone tonight and it showed not only in Jannon's effort, but everyone else who played."
The team was forced to play from behind for most of the first half after it finished the first quarter down 25-14. The team had trouble containing Aggies guard Brooke Salas, who scored 12 points in the quarter. At one point, right at the beginning of the second quarter, New Mexico State had a 13-point lead.
UCR's largest lead came in the third quarter with about three minutes left. The Highlanders drained three straight shots to go up 52-44, forcing New Mexico State to call a timeout. The team finished the quarter with a 54-48 lead.
UCR's next game will be Dec. 31 at CSU Bakersfield, before Big West play begins on Jan. 5 vs. UC Davis.
