SANTA CRUZ (1-15) – UC Santa Cruz played their second game of their weekend back-to-back at Kaiser Permanente Arena as they took on NAIA member University of Antelope Valley. The Pioneers held the Banana Slugs to twenty five second half points and won 84-65.
Both teams won their last game yesterday. The Banana Slugs won 53-48 over William Jessup University at Kaiser Permanente Arena while the Pioneers won 97-80 over CSU Maritime Academy in Vallejo.
In the first quarter, the Banana Slugs started the game on a 8-2 run, capped by a Katie Young three pointer, over the first two minutes and seven seconds of the quarter. The six point lead was gained again at 12-6 on a Michelle Poole layup with 5:10 left in the quarter. The Pioneers would then go on an 8-0 run, capped by a Jazlyn Simon jumper, to give the Pioneers the lead at 14-12 with 2:16 left in the quarter. The Banana Slugs would go on a 5-0 spurt to give the Banana Slugs the lead back at 17-14 with 1:36 left in the quarter. The Banana Slugs led 20-17 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Banana Slugs started the quarter on a 7-0 run, capped by a Katherine Mauldin layup with 8:37 left in the half, to give the Banana Slugs a 27-17 lead. The ten point lead, which was the Banana Slugs largest of the contest, was gained again at 29-19 on Sonya Ivanovic layup with 7:15 left in the half. The Pioneers would then go on a 6-0 run, capped by a Tylen Prince free throw with 5:07 left in the half, to trim the Banana Slugs' lead to 29-25 with 5:07 left in the half. The Pioneers would come as close as three, at 32-29, on an Ahteana Jones jumper with 3:39 left in the half. The Banana Slugs would finish the half on an 8-2 run, capped by a Jasmin Dimson three pointer with six seconds left in the half, to give the Banana Slugs a 40-31 lead. The Banana Slugs led 40-31 at the halftime break.
In the third quarter, the Pioneers would start the quarter on an 8-0 run, capped by a pair of Prince free throws with 6:17 left in the quarter, to trim the Banana Slugs lead to 40-39. The Banana Slugs scored the next five points – one on a Tyler Stewart three pointer and one on a Kim Tom layup – to gain their largest lead of the quarter at 45-39 with 5:08 left in the quarter. From that point, the Pioneers would go on a 14-0 run, capped by a Prince free throw, to give the Pioneers the lead for good at 53-45 with 1:31 left in the quarter. The Banana Slugs would get as close as four on two occasions; the second occasion at 55-51 on a pair of Tom free throws with seven seconds left. The Pioneers would lead 55-51 at the end of three quarters.
In the fourth quarter, the Pioneers would expand their lead. The closest the Banana Slugs would come would be two on two occasions; the second occasion was at 57-55 on a Young jumper with 9:27 left. The Pioneers would go on a 7-0 run, capped by an Aunjanay Chambers layup with 6:06 left, to make the score 64-55. The Pioneers would gain a double digit lead, at 75-65, on a pair of Chambers free throws with 1:56 left. The Pioneers would gain their largest lead of the ballgame at nineteen, at 84-65, on a LeChae McColor layup with sixteen seconds left. The Pioneers won 84-65 over the Banana Slugs.
Young had fourteen points to lead the Banana Slugs. Prince had a game high twenty one points for the Pioneers. Michelle Poole and Stewart had thirteen points apiece and Dimson had nine points in the loss. Chambers, off the bench, had twenty and Jones had eight points for the Pioneers.
The Banana Slugs shot 30.1% (22-73) from the field, 27% (10-37) from the three-point line and were 68.8% (11-16) from the free throw line. The Pioneers shot 38.4% (28-73) from the field, 16.1% (5-31) from the three-point line and 71.9% (23-32) from the foul line. UC Santa Cruz's defense forced sixteen Pioneer turnovers scoring fifteen points off the turnovers while the Pioneers' defense forced nineteen turnovers by UC Santa Cruz scoring twenty four points off the turnovers. University of Antelope Valley outrebounded UC Santa Cruz 60-43 and the Pioneers had thirty seven more points off the bench (49-12) than did the Banana Slugs.
The Banana Slugs' next game is next Sunday as they will have a rematch with University of Antelope Valley at 4 pm in Lancaster.