Wednesday, March 20
7:00 P.M.
UC Riverside
(17-16,10-6)
60
vs
68
Utah State University
(17-15,10-8)
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utah State | 11 | 25 | 17 | 15 | 68 |
| UC Riverside | 11 | 9 | 28 | 12 | 60 |
Photo by: Carlos Puma
Women's Basketball Takes 68-60 Loss to Utah State in WBI First Round
3/20/2019 10:31:00 PM | Women's Basketball
RIVERSIDE, Calif.—A 68-60 loss to Utah State on Wednesday at the SRC Arena may not have been the way the UC Riverside Women's Basketball team wanted to end the season, but it taught them many valuable lessons.
Playing in the Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI) marked the first time many of the student-athletes played this late in the season.
"This was good for us. It allowed them to experience the postseason," head coach John Margaritis said. "They played when so many other teams are done."
As the No. 3 seed in the Big West Tournament, the Highlanders (17-16, 10-6) beat Long Beach State, 67-50, in the quarterfinal round last Wednesday, before taking a 66-58 loss to Hawaii on Friday.
Utah State came into Wednesday's game having finished sixth in the Mountain West Conference. The team lost to No. 3 seed Wyoming, 64-41, in a quarterfinal matchup last Tuesday.
Utah State came out quickly, not intimidated by having to play on the road. The team got out to an early 9-0 lead. However, that was followed up by an 11-2 run by UCR.
Come the second quarter, UCR couldn't find any offensive rhythm and shot 33.3 percent from the field and just 2-for-8 from the free throw line. One of the biggest problems for UCR in the first half was turnovers. Utah State scored 17 points off of 13 turnovers and went into halftime with a 36-20 lead.
However, if you thought that the Highlanders would give up, you were mistaken. It went on one of its best runs of the season, outscoring Utah State 24-8 to tie the game at 44 with 2:20 left in the third.
Scoring 28 points in the quarter, it marked more points than the team scored the entire first half.
"We had to make a stand," Margaritis said. "We didn't start the game off very well. We never stopped playing."
While Shannon Dufficy led the way for Utah State with 20 points and 10 rebounds, the Highlanders were led by Daphne Gnago with 11 points and 15 rebounds and Jalyn Clay, who had 12 points and nine rebounds.
Clay, along with Lauryn Pointer and Andrianna Kasapi, stepped up after injuries to Tianna Eaton and De Kergret and then Keilanei Cooper fouling out in the third quarter.
Utah State went into the fourth quarter with a 53-48 lead and things remained tight through much of the quarter. However, Utah State had a 10-point lead at the 2:51 mark that the Highlanders couldn't come back from.
While the Highlanders weren't able to get the victory and move on to the next round, the WBI is an experience that will help the team heading into next season.
"They experienced it and a lot of people are returning," Margaritis said. "It is a huge benefit."
Playing in the Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI) marked the first time many of the student-athletes played this late in the season.
"This was good for us. It allowed them to experience the postseason," head coach John Margaritis said. "They played when so many other teams are done."
As the No. 3 seed in the Big West Tournament, the Highlanders (17-16, 10-6) beat Long Beach State, 67-50, in the quarterfinal round last Wednesday, before taking a 66-58 loss to Hawaii on Friday.
Utah State came into Wednesday's game having finished sixth in the Mountain West Conference. The team lost to No. 3 seed Wyoming, 64-41, in a quarterfinal matchup last Tuesday.
Utah State came out quickly, not intimidated by having to play on the road. The team got out to an early 9-0 lead. However, that was followed up by an 11-2 run by UCR.
Come the second quarter, UCR couldn't find any offensive rhythm and shot 33.3 percent from the field and just 2-for-8 from the free throw line. One of the biggest problems for UCR in the first half was turnovers. Utah State scored 17 points off of 13 turnovers and went into halftime with a 36-20 lead.
However, if you thought that the Highlanders would give up, you were mistaken. It went on one of its best runs of the season, outscoring Utah State 24-8 to tie the game at 44 with 2:20 left in the third.
Scoring 28 points in the quarter, it marked more points than the team scored the entire first half.
"We had to make a stand," Margaritis said. "We didn't start the game off very well. We never stopped playing."
While Shannon Dufficy led the way for Utah State with 20 points and 10 rebounds, the Highlanders were led by Daphne Gnago with 11 points and 15 rebounds and Jalyn Clay, who had 12 points and nine rebounds.
Clay, along with Lauryn Pointer and Andrianna Kasapi, stepped up after injuries to Tianna Eaton and De Kergret and then Keilanei Cooper fouling out in the third quarter.
Utah State went into the fourth quarter with a 53-48 lead and things remained tight through much of the quarter. However, Utah State had a 10-point lead at the 2:51 mark that the Highlanders couldn't come back from.
While the Highlanders weren't able to get the victory and move on to the next round, the WBI is an experience that will help the team heading into next season.
"They experienced it and a lot of people are returning," Margaritis said. "It is a huge benefit."
Team Stats
US
UCR
FG%
.419
.392
3FG%
.444
.308
FT%
.667
.593
RB
39
35
TO
14
16
STL
6
6
Game Leaders
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
9
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
4
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