WOMEN'S BASKETBALL USES SECOND HALF SPARK TO DEFEAT NORTHERN COLORADO 72-60
1/21/2010
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The Sacramento State women's basketball team used an 18-7 run midway through the second half to defeat the Northern Colorado Bears, 72-60, in Big Sky Conference action on Thursday, Jan. 21.
With the victory, the Hornets improve to 5-12 overall, 1-4 inside the Big Sky, while the Bears fall to 9-10, 2-4 in Big Sky play.
The first half of play saw an even contest with three ties and nine lead changes, and neither team held larger than a five point lead. With the score tied at 22-22 with 2:28 remaining in the half, freshman Kylie Kuhns (Salem, Ore.) made 1-of-2 at the line, and junior Emily Christensen (El Dorado Hills, Calif.) hit a three with 20 seconds remaining, giving the Hornets a 26-22 lead. Lauren Oosdyke made a driving layup and was fouled with two seconds remaining for the Bears, but she missed the free throw and Sacramento State took a two point lead into the locker room. The score of 26-24 marked the seven straight Hornet game where the halftime margin was three points or less.
Both teams shot under 30.0 percent for the half, with the Hornets shooting 10-of-34 (29.4 percent) and the Bears coming in at 10-of-35 (28.6 percent).
The second 20 minutes was also a back-and-forth affair, with the teams swapping the lead back and forth. With 10:35 remaining, Northern Colorado held a slim 45-44 advantage, but the Hornets would begin a rally. They went on to outscore the Bears 18-7 over the next 6:17, with the run being capped off by a three-pointer from senior Erika Edwards (Redmond, Wash.), which gave Sacramento State a 62-52 lead.
From that point forward, the closest Northern Colorado would get was six points, but Sacramento State hit six free throws in the final minute, icing the game and giving the team its first Big Sky Conference win of the season, 72-60.
The 60 points scored by Northern Colorado were the fewest allowed by the Hornets this season.
"Tonight the difference for us defensively was that we got matched up," head coach Jamie Craighead said following the win. "We talked about that and worked on it after we left Montana. If a shot was taken in the half court tonight, it was contested."
Sacramento State shot 34.8 percent from the field (24-of-69) for the contest, but shot 40.0 percent (14-of-35) in the second half, which included five three-pointers. Northern Colorado was held to just 31.0 percent shooting from the field (22-of-71) and just a 17.9 percent clip from beyond the three-point arc (5-of-28).
"I thought in the second half that we were passing the ball around well and were able to find open shooters, which helped us shoot the ball better," Craighead said.
Christensen and junior Tika Koshiyama-Diaz (San Jose, Calif.) led the Hornets with 14 points apiece, with Christensen adding nine rebounds and Koshiyama-Diaz adding five assists. Edwards finished with 10 points and seven rebounds off the bench, while Kuhns posted a near double-double with nine points and 12 rebounds. Senior Ashley Garcia (Antioch, Calif.) also added nine points and four assists off the bench. Senior Charday Hunt (Portland, Ore.) had her double-figure scoring streak snapped at 21 games after scoring seven points and grabbing seven rebounds in 24 minutes.
Whitley Cox led the Bears in scoring with 15, but the story was Courtney Stoermer, who posted the school's first triple-double since joining the Division I ranks. Stoermer scored 12 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and dished out 10 assists with just one turnover while playing all 40 minutes. Jayne Strand (12 points, 11 rebounds) and Lauren Oosdyke (11 points, 10 rebounds) each posted double-doubles for the Bears.
The Hornets return to action on Sunday, Jan. 24 as they host Northern Arizona in a game that was rescheduled from Saturday due to weather in Flagstaff. Tipoff time is scheduled for 1:05 p.m.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The Sacramento State women's basketball team used an 18-7 run midway through the second half to defeat the Northern Colorado Bears, 72-60, in Big Sky Conference action on Thursday, Jan. 21.
