RIVERSIDE, Calif. - In tonight's 58-53 loss to CSUN at the SRC Arena, Highlander guard
Seneca Hackley scored her 1,000th career point. 495 of those points came in a UCR uniform. It was in the second quarter with 3:10 on the clock that Hackley buried a three from the corner to put her in the 1,000 point club. She started her career at Florida Gulf Coast where she made the ASUN All-Freshmen Team. She played one more year in the Sunshine State and transferred to Northern Colorado, after not playing her junior season. While in Colorado Hackley played in 24 games and averaged 9.3 ppg and 3.2 rebounds. Her season high of 22 points that year came against Omaha.
This year, the guard has played in 23 games with 21 starts. She currently is averaging just under ten points per game.
Tonight against CSUN Hackley scored 15 points on 5-of-11 from the floor including three threes. That combined with
Hannah Wickstrom's fifth double-double of the year was not enough as UCR dropped its second straight game, 58-53.
UCR took a 12-11 lead at the end of the first. Wickstrom scored seven of the 12 UCR points and a pair of layups by Hackley in final minute of the period gave the Highlanders the one point lead.
The offenses found a bit of rhythm in the second as 29 total points were scored. After a CSUN free throw tied the game at 12, Hackley hit a three to give UCR the lead. The Matadors then scored the next five and CSUN held two point advantage. That lead grew to eight for CSUN with 4:00 left in the half. That's when Wickstrom and Hackley hit back-to-back threes and UCR trailed by two. The Highlanders tied the game at 23 on a jumper by
Dieynaba Sylla. After baskets by both teams, Hackley hit two free throws to give UCR a two point halftime lead.
Kaylani Polk got hot to start the third and UCR built a seven point lead. CSUN cut into that lead but UCR held off a game changing run. Eventually, the Highlanders went up eight with 3:40 left in the third. But in the final two-plus minutes the Matadors went on a 10-3 run and took a one point into the fourth.
CSUN quickly built its lead to three, but back-to-back jumpers by Wickstrom and the Highlanders went up by one. Both teams traded baskets before the offenses dried up. Neither team scored over the next three plus minutes. Wickstrom hit a pair of free throws and UCR went up by one. But those were the last points the Highlanders scored in the game. CSUN ended the game on a 6-0 run to pull out the victory.
Next up for the Highlanders is a trip to Santa Barbara for the first meeting of the year with the Gauchos. That game tips off at 6PM on February 12.
