LOS ANGELES — The Occidental women's basketball team used a zone defense to slow down UC Santa Cruz in the second half, but it wasn't enough to overcome a poor shooting afternoon as the Tigers dropped their season opener with the Banana Slugs 65-57 at Rush Gymnasium on Sunday.

After shooting just 21 percent in the first half, Erin Matsumoto and the Tigers erased a seven-point halftime deficit by the end of the third quarter, pulling even at 46-46. Matsumoto, who scored 18 points in an exhibition game at UC Irvine last week, scored 10 of her game-high 15 points in the third quarter. 

Mackenzie Bretz finished in doube figures with 11 points and Grace Baranowski had nine points and nine rebounds for Oxy.

Lashay Alexander led the Banana Slugs with 14 points, Katie Young chipped in 11 off of the bench, including a trio of 3-pointers, and Trina Torres added 10.

Season Impact: Oxy falls to 0-1 on the year.

UC Santa Cruz earns its second win in a row over a SCIAC school, moving to 2-0. The Banana Slugs beat Redlands on Saturday.

Next Game: The Tigers are back on the court on Tuesday, hosting NAIA San Diego Christian at 7:30 p.m.