LOS ANGELES — Despite a late second-half run, the Occidental College women's basketball team's full court press was too much for UC Santa Cruz to handle as the Tigers held off the Banana Slugs 68-58, avenging a one-point loss to UC Santa Cruz on Jan. 7.

The stingy Occidental defense forced two shot clock violations and capitalized with 19 points off of 19 turnovers. The Tigers (11-5, 6-1 SCIAC) held yet another opponent under 40 percent shooting, limiting UCSC to 22 of 68 from the field and 4 of 22 from beyond the arc.

"I think when we were over in Santa Cruz we were a step slow," Occidental head coach Anahit Aladzhanyan said after the game. "This time around our flow was a lot better and when they made runs we answered."

Makenzie Brandon (Seattle, Wash.) led all scorers with 26 points and finished two rebounds shy of a double-double. Brandon also assisted the Tigers down the stretch, hitting clutch shots and free throws to help maintain the lead.

"We played as a team today and I think that's the biggest difference between this time and last game," Brandon said. "[We were] a lot more cohesive, worked hard and when we were up or down we were playing together and that's what makes the difference."

Elizabeth Messick (Reno, Nev.) recorded her ninth double-double of the season, scoring 18 points and grabbing 18 boards to go along with five assists and six blocked shots.

"We outrebounded them which was a problem we had last time," Messick said.

Through the first 12 minutes of the game, there were four ties and five lead changes, but the Tigers took the final advantage on a Brandon layup that made the score 20-18 with 8:01 remaining in the first half. Although Occidental would hold onto a lead from then until the final buzzer, UCSC revitalized its offense late in the game. The Banana Slugs recorded a 12-3 run in five minutes, taking the score from 53-40 with 9:01 remaining to 56-52 with 3:38 left. Brandon ended the streak by making it to the line on a foul call after a mid-air collision with UCSC guard Geena Giovannetti.  

Fouls came at a premium in the second half, with both teams reaching 1-and-1 with more than nine minutes remaining and the double bonus with over two minutes still on the clock. Occidental took advantage from the charity stripe, knocking down 16 out of 21 free throws on the day.

Michelle Naito-Lo (Monterey Park) was the third Tiger starter in double figures with 10 points that included one of the Tigers' only two made three-point attempts. She credited the Occidental fans for giving the black and orange a solid home court advantage.

"It's always nice playing at home because we always have a loyal fan base," Naito-Lo said. "We were really hyped to play them again just because last time we went over there and it was a tough loss. We marked this game on our calendar and we saw this game as a game that we really wanted to prepare for."

The Tigers travel to the University of La Verne on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and host Chapman University on Saturday at 5 p.m.