The UCI Women’s Basketball team (8-4, 2-0) cruised past the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners (4-7, 1-1), 71-48, on Dec. 30 at the Bren Events Center. Their victory comes off the heels of a road win victory against UC Riverside, 67-52, on Dec. 28.
UCI faced-off against CSU Bakersfield for the first time since their upset loss to the Roadrunners in the first round of the Big West Tournament last season.
The game opened with CSUB sophomore forward Julia Riley knocking down one of her five three-pointers to give the Roadrunners an early 3-0 advantage. UCI junior guard Déja Lee quickly retaliated with her own three-pointer, tying the game.
CSU Bakersfield came out with a lot of confidence and intensity as they held a 10-7 lead after redshirt senior Cassidy Johnson capitalized on an Anteater defensive error for an easy layup. The ‘Eaters quickly tightened up defensively, sparking an 8-0 run and gained their first lead of the game, 15-10. UCI’s run was capped off by an offensive rebound by senior guard Diaba Konate, allowing freshman guard Shirel Nahum to drill a deep three-pointer later in the possession.
Coach Tamara Inoue discussed the importance of Konate’s energy for her squad.
“She’s a +20 when she’s out there and so valuable on the defensive side,” Inoue said in an interview with the New University. “I love the six assists and only one turnover tonight, she does a good job of getting her teammates involved.”
The Roadrunners managed to battle back before the end of the quarter, retaking the lead, 18-17, with a corner triple by Riley heading into the second quarter.
In the opening minutes of the second quarter, UCI displayed great intensity, as Nahum converted on a reverse layup to retake the lead. On the next defensive possession Konate utilized her defensive prowess to take the charge and force a Roadrunner turnover.
However, CSU Bakersfield responded back, rattling off a 5-0 run in a three-minute spurt. Defensive miscues by the Anteaters translated into an open three-pointer for Riley and an easy layup for redshirt sophomore guard Sophia Tougas, propelling the Roadrunners to a 25-19 lead before a media timeout.
After the break, UCI graduate guard Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba, in her first home game as an Anteater, energized her team with a putback layup. She followed that up, converting a pull-up jumper to cut the deficit down to two.
Baba shared her thoughts on playing her first home game in front of the ‘Eater faithful.
“I was really excited, I’ve been waiting to play at home,” Baba said in an interview with the New University. “I’m excited to showcase what I can do for this team and what we can do as a unit.”
Junior guard Amelia Scharpf emerged as an unsung hero for the Anteaters as she scored all eight of her points in the closing minutes of the first half. Three of those eight points came on a buzzer-beater corner three-pointer, giving the ‘Eaters a 33-30 advantage heading into the break.
The Roadrunners continued to battle in the second half, tying the game at 35 after Riley knocked down a deep three at the top of the key. However, the ‘Eaters mounted a 16-2 run to end the third quarter, providing the turning point of the game. Fueled by Lee’s 10 third-quarter points, the Anteaters sprinted to a 45-35 lead.
Lee’s offensive bag was on full display, from knocking down shots from the perimeter to using a pump fake to get an easy pull-up mid-range shot along the baseline.
UCI’s defense intensified as senior center Nevaeh Parkinson got a monster block on a Roadrunner shot attempt.
The Anteaters held the Roadrunner’s offense to only seven points in the third quarter, demonstrating the excellent year UCI has had so far on the defensive side of the court.
The ’Eaters closed the quarter with Lee draining a 10-foot jumper before the horn, increasing the gap to 51-37.
In the final quarter, UCI never looked back as both their defense and offense remained in sync to finish the game. The highlight of the quarter was a dazzling play in which Konate found an open Lee for the wide-open triple, increasing the ‘Eater lead to 20 points, 65-45 with four minutes remaining in the game.
The ‘Eaters ran away with the game leading by 24 points, defeating the Roadrunners, 71-48.
UCI finished the game shooting 53% from the field and 44% from beyond the arc, while limiting the Roadrunners to shooting 36% from both the field and three-point line. The ‘Eaters also forced 15 turnovers as they cruised to a 2-0 start in conference play.
Baba commented on the importance of starting hot in conference play.
“It’s [about] confidence,” Baba said. “Seeing the results and trending upward shows what we’ve been doing.”
Although the stakes in this matchup were not as dire compared to the previous matchup, this victory was satisfying after the Roadrunners dashed the Anteater’s NCAA Tournament hopes last year.
Lee echoed this sentiment.
“It feels good,” Lee said. “It shows how well we focused coming into this game.”
Coach Inoue discussed the mindset heading into the team’s next matchup against CSU Fullerton on Jan. 4 at the Tian Gym in Fullerton, CA.
“They’re good and they’re a different team,” Inoue said. “They run a lot of sets, so we have to be prepared for that, and we have a tough road swing. Next week is going to be a tough one.”
The ‘Eaters will play both games on the road next week as, following the Fullerton contest, they will face UC Davis on Jan. 6.
Donnell Fuller is a Sports Staff Writer. He can be reached at ddfuller@uci.edu.