CSUN Falls 72-59 to UC Riverside

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---UC Riverside defeated CSUN 72-59 in Big West Women's Basketball play Saturday afternoon at the Matadome.

FIRST HALF
The key to the opening 20 minutes for the Highlanders was the UCR's ability to get to the free throw line. UC Riverside drew five CSUN fouls in the first six minutes of the game and eight fouls in the first quarter. The Highlanders were 9-of-12 from the free throw line in the first quarter and led by as many as 11 before a 5-1 CSUN spurt in the final two minutes made it 28-21.

Despite CSUN shooting 60% (6-of-10) in the second quarter, the Matadors fell behind 38-29 at halftime as UCR drew four more CSUN fouls in the second. The Highlanders were 6-of-6 at the charity stripe in the second and made 11 straight free throws in the opening stanza.

SECOND HALF
Kayanna Spriggs scored four consecutive points to begin the third quarter to cut the UCR lead to 38-33. The Highlanders responded with four in a row to get the lead back to nine. CSUN continued to chip away, again cutting the lead to five (44-39) with 5:54 to go when Meghann Henderson hit on a layup. UC Riverside posted six of the next eight points in the game which extended the advantage to 50-41 in favor of UCR. Up 50-43, Jordan Webster was fouled on consecutive UC Riverside possessions. She made all four of her free throw attempts to put UCR ahead by 11. Spriggs' free throws with one-second remaining created a nine-point game as the teams headed into the fourth quarter.

The Matadors closed to within seven with 4:07 remaining on a Macy Smith fast break three-pointer. UC Riverside responded with a 7-2 run that made it 67-55 with 2:15 to go. Jordyn Jackson's field goal at 1:33 created a 67-57 score. That would be as close as the Matadors would get as the Highlanders posted the next five points. A Tess Amundsen layup at the 14-second mark would be the game's final score.

THE NUMBERS
UC Riverside (11-10, 8-6 Big West) made their final 18 free throw attempts of the game and would shoot 22-of-25 from the charity stripe for the game (88%). CSUN was 11-of-16 (68.8%) from the free throw line in the game. The Matadors outshot the Highlanders from the field. CSUN was 23-of-52 (44.2%) from the field compared to 22-of-51 (43.1%) for UCR. The Matadors made seven steals as UC Riverside committed nine turnovers. CSUN committed 15 turnovers which were turned into 24 UCR points.

Webster led UCR with 14 points including 6-of-6 from the free throw line. Olivia West scored 13 while Anna Blount had 11 for the Highlanders. Amundsen was CSUN's only scorer in double figures as she posted 14 points. Michelle Duchemin, Jackson, and Spriggs, each scored eight. Macy Smith scored seven points. The lone senior/grad student on the Matadors' roster, Meghann Henderson, who was honored before the game, scored six points, grabbed four rebounds, had one assist, and one steal.

ACCORDING TO INTERIM HEAD COACH CARLENE MITCHELL
"I am disappointed that we couldn't help Meghann celebrate her senior day with a win. She is a great competitor but an even better person. It is hard to win games when you commit 15 turnovers that were turned into 24 transition points."

"We need to have better discipline in our on-the-ball defense. We cannot foul especially late in the shot clock. It was a positive to get solid energy and minutes from Michelle and Macy. They give us a different look as a pair of big guards who can post up in the paint."

"We will regroup and try to get a victory in our last regular-season home game in the Matadome on Tuesday."

UP NEXT
CSUN (9-16, 5-10 Big West) plays its final home game of the year Tuesday night when the Matadors host UC Santa Barbara (14-10, 8-7 Big West). Coverage on ESPN+ begins at 7 p.m. with Jill Painter Lopez on the call.

Next Event

Team Stats

Tess Amundsen

Jordyn Jackson

Michelle Duchemin

Kayanna Spriggs

Players Mentioned

Tess Amundsen

Michelle Duchemin

Meghann Henderson

Jordyn Jackson

Macy Smith

Kayanna Spriggs