SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – UC Riverside traveled up the California coast this afternoon to take on Cal Poly. These two teams squared off back in December during Big West Bold Week and the Highlanders won in impressive fashion 63-46. This afternoon it was a little closer.
UC Riverside got off to a quick start, beginning the game on a 7-0 run. Cal Poly got back into it but UCR maintained its lead.
Hannah Wickstrom scored nine of UCR's 16 first quarter points.
Bria Shine added four points and
Taylor Swanson chipped in with three.
In the second quarter the Highlanders had more of a balanced scoring attack with five players contributing.
Seneca Hackley had a team high five points in the second and
Maya Chocano grabbed five boards. In the second the Highlanders ran their lead up to 12 twice. Every time Cal Poly tried to chip away UCR answered. The Highlanders led at the half, 32-23.
Both offenses opened in the third quarter with UCR outscoring Cal Poly 18-17. Cal Poly cut the lead to six, but UCR slowly built the lead up to ten, twice.
Kaylani Polk hit a three at the end of the third to give UCR a ten-point lead heading into the fourth.
The Highlander offense sputtered in the fourth. A lone layup by Swanson was all UCR got through the first four and a half minutes of the quarter. Coming out of a UCR timeout, Swanson buried her second basket of the fourth to put UCR up by ten and
Makayla Minshall followed up with a three and the Highlanders' were up by 13.
Cal Poly mounted a comeback, but five straight points by Wickstrom and the Highlanders went back up by ten. In the closing two minutes, Cal Poly went on one more run. Cal Poly's Vanessa McManus scored four straight and the Highlander lead suddenly dropped to four points.
Shine made a free throw and it remained a two possession game. McManus' late layup cut the lead to three. However, Shine hit another free throw and the lead was four for the Highlanders.
With just seconds left, Chocano hit a pair of free throws and UCR went up by five, but McManus hit a three with three seconds on the clock and the lead was down to two.
Polk made two free throws and the Highlanders went up by four, which is how it ended. The Highlanders' 70-66 win at Cal Poly was their second road win of the year. It also snapped a four game losing streak and got UCR to one game under .500 in conference play.
Next up for the Highlanders is Cal State Fullerton at 6PM on Thursday, February 5.
