BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – The University of California, Riverside (UCR) women's basketball team returned to conference play this weekend in the first matchup with new members, Cal State University Bakersfield (CSUB). After celebrating the program's first win against Pac-12 powerhouse USC last Sunday, the Highlanders sought to carry the momentum into conference play and earn their first Big West Conference win of the season. UC Riverside pulled away with the lead in the fourth quarter and won, 64-56.  Leading in the victory were three Highlanders scoring in double digits, Keilanei Cooper (15), Jordan Webster (15) and Jada Holland (12).

A roadrunner layup put CSUB on the board first, but it would be their only lead of the first half. UCR took advantage of the last minute of play in the first period, embarking on a 9-2 run to finish the quarter up by seven, 20-13.

The second quarter was CSU Bakersfield's most effective.  A pair of back-to-back three pointers brought the Roadrunners within a point of UCR, but the Highlanders were able to hold CSUB at bay and entered the locker room up by one point, 31-30.

The teams battled for possession and changed leads early in the third quarter before exchanging scoring runs. It was the closest quarter of the game, with UCR outscoring CSUB by just one point in the 14-13 period.

The Highlanders rallied in the fourth quarter and tore through the Roadrunners defense with back-to-back threes from Jordan Webster, who had eight points in the quarter. Webster's early three-point outburst fueled an 8-1 UCR run, extending UC Riverside's lead to the largest of the night, 53-44. The squads traded buckets down the stretch, while UCR remained strong to earn their first Big West Conference win of the season, 64-56.

Head Coach Nicole Powell commented, "It's always good to win on the road, it definitely wasn't one of the prettiest games we've played, but it always feels good to win on the road in conference." She continued, "I'm proud of our team for executing better down the stretch, especially in the fourth quarter, where the game really fell in our favor. It's tough, were playing back-to-back. We are happy with the win but moving on, we have to get prepared for tomorrow."

As Coach Powell noted, the Highlanders take on CSU Bakersfield in the second game of the series, tomorrow, January 23 at 4:00 PM.