Near Perfect First Half Leads Cal Poly Past UC Riverside, 79-56

Saturday, February 2

4 pm

12-8 (6-3BWC)

UC Riverside

10-10 (3-6BWC)

UC Riverside

Cal Poly

Near Perfect First Half Leads Cal Poly Past UC Riverside, 79-56

2/2/2013 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – The Cal Poly women's basketball team played a near perfect first half that carried the team to a 79-56 win over UC Riverside in a Big West Conference game at the Mott Athletics Center on Saturday afternoon. With the win the Mustangs improve to 12-8 overall and 6-3 in conference games while UCR falls to 10-10 overall and 3-6 in the Big West.

Cal Poly returns to the court on Feb. 7 when they travel to Stockton to play conference leading Pacific at 7 pm.

Sophomore Ariana Elegado led all scorers with 19 points when she made six of 11 from the floor including five of eight from long range. Junior Molly Schlemer scored 18 points, her eighth double figures game in a row and her 10th in her last 11 games), when she made seven of 12 shots from the floor. She entered the game 16th in the nation, converting 55.6 percent of her shots from the floor. Her all-around game included four rebounds, a block and a steal.

The third Mustang to score in double figures was junior Jonae Ervine with 10 points. Ervin hit four of seven shots from the floor and made both shots at the line, but she continued to move up in the ranks with six assists with only two turnovers. She entered the game ranked seventh in the nation with an assist/turnover ratio of 2.64.

Senior Kayla Griffin had an outstanding game. While scoring only five points, she grabbed 11 rebounds, dished out three assists and nabbed three steals.

UCR was led by TreShont Nottingham with 18 points while Natasha Hadley and Brittany Crain each added 12 points.

Cal Poly's near perfect first half included shooting 50 percent from the floor including six of 11 from long range. The team dished out 16 assists while committing only three turnovers, the first with less than two minutes remaining. Eight different Mustangs scored in the half.

Overall Cal Poly shot 49 percent from the floor and made eight of 14 from long range. They went to the line 14 times and made 11 shots. The team handed out 21 assists while committing only 12 turnovers in the game.

UCR shot 37 percent from the floor and made four of 13 shots from long range. UCR only went to the line twice, making both. Both teams each had 38 rebounds and were whistled for a combined 23 fouls.

The Mustangs used a pair of runs in the first half to break open the game. Three minutes into the game, with Cal Poly up 7-6, the Mustangs went on a 9-0 run to open up a 16-6 lead capped by a Schlemer layup with 13:47 on the clock. Two minutes later, Cal Poly broke the game up with a 12-2 run and a 31-12 lead capped by a Ervin jumper with 8:47 on the clock. Cal Poly continued to slowly pull away and held its largest lead of the half, 45-18, on a Caroline Hughes layup with 1:28 left in the half and settled for a 27 point lead.

UCR opened the second half cutting the lead to 19 points (51-32) on a jumper by Crain, but that would be as close as the Highlanders would get the rest of the game. The Mustangs held their largest lead of the game with 7:33 on the clock when Ashley Cascio hit a three-pointer for a 71-39 lead.

UCR would close the lead to 23 points in the closing seconds of the game.