Mustangs fall to UC Riverside at Big West Tournament
HENDERSON, Nev. - Sophomore guards Annika Shah and Jazzy Anousinh each scored in double figures but the Cal Poly women's basketball team, who struggled to get going offensively, fell to UC Riverside 63-54 in the opening round of the Big West Championships Tuesday at Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nev.
Anousinh had a team-high 11 points and two assists while Shah finished with 10 points. Junior forward Natalia Ackerman nearly had a double-double with nine points and a team-high nine rebounds for the Mustangs (10-18), who were without several players due to injury including Oumou Toure, Cal Poly's leading scorer during conference play.
Cal Poly, who held the lead for 38 seconds of the game, was limited to 31 percent shooting from three and just under 40 percent. The Highlanders outrebounded the Mustangs 41-26 including 15-2 on the offensive glass.
"They did a great job limiting our second chance shot opportunities," head coach Shanele Stires said. "We couldn't get into a groove offensively and I felt like we tried a variety of different things to get our team going and every time we tried something different Riverside had an answer for it."
UC Riverside took a 13-9 lead with three minutes left in the first quarter before Cal Poly responded with four straight points as they held the Highlanders scoreless the rest of the quarter to tie it at 13 apiece heading into the second.
The Mustangs were held to three points in the first five minutes of the second as UC Riverside took a four point lead. Cal Poly's tough defense held the Highlanders scoreless for the final four minutes of the half as the Mustangs were able to climb back and tie it 22-22 at halftime.
UC Riverside opened the second half with a 9-3 run to go ahead by six with 5:40 left in the quarter. Cal Poly answered back with a 6-2 run over the next two minutes to get back within two at 33-31.
After cutting the Highlander lead down to one, UC Riverside pushed its advantage back up to six before a Taylor Wy three got the Mustangs back within three heading into the fourth quarter.
The Highlanders scored the first nine points of the fourth quarter to take a 12-point lead. Not giving in, Cal Poly went on a 7-0 run over the next three minutes to get back within five at 49-44 with four minutes remaining. UC Riverside then pulled away after a 10-2 run to go up by 13 with 1:40 left in the game.
Despite Tuesday's loss, Cal Poly saw plenty of improvement this season under first year head coach Shanele Stires. The Mustangs more than tripled their win total from last season and went from the No. 10 seed in last year's tournament to the seven seed this year. They also were an improved defensive team, allowing nearly nine fewer points per game this season compared to last year.
"We really laid a foundation this season for our program," Stires added. "We played our best basketball late in the season because I think we really started to understand one another and built some great chemistry. There's a lot to be excited about and I'm looking forward to what we can build together moving forward."
(Article courtesy of Cal Poly Athletics)
