LANCASTER (1-23) – UC Santa Cruz played their first game of a two game trip away from Santa Cruz as they took on NAIA member University of Antelope Valley in Lancaster. The Pioneers won the 92-74.

This game is a rematch of a game played last Sunday in Santa Cruz that saw the Pioneers win 84-65.

In the first quarter, the Pioneers started the game on a 7-2 spurt, capped by a Tairah Pryor basket with 6:25 left in the quarter. The Banana Slugs would respond with a 9-2 run, capped by a Katherine Mauldin basket with 2:29 left in the quarter, to give the Banana Slugs the lead at 11-9. The Banana Slugs would gain their largest lead of the ballgame at four, at 13-9, on a Jasmine Dimson basket with two minutes left in the quarter. The Pioneers would respond with a 9-2 run of their own, capped by a LaChae McColor three pointer with thirteen seconds left, to give the Pioneers an 18-15 lead. The Pioneers would lead 18-15 at the end of the first quarter. 

In the second quarter, the Pioneers would hold the Banana Slugs at arms' length. The Pioneers would gain their largest lead of the quarter at seven, at 30-23, on a Leah Baity basket with 3:34 left in the half. The Banana Slugs would respond with a 7-0 run, capped by a Michelle Poole free throw, to tie the game at 30-30 with forty-seven seconds left in the half. The game was tied 30-30 at the halftime break.    

In the third quarter, the Pioneers would extend their lead. The Banana Slugs tied the game at 32-32 on a Jenna Sparks basket with 9:08 left in the quarter. The Pioneers would then go on a 12-0 run, capped by a Pryor basket with 6:45 left in the quarter, to give the Pioneers the lead for good at 44-32. The Pioneers would gain their largest lead of the quarter at sixteen, at 66-50, on a McColor free throw with nine seconds left in the quarter. The Pioneers led 66-50 at the end of three quarters.

In the fourth quarter, the Pioneers would continue to expand their advantage. The closest the Banana Slugs would come would be ten, at 70-60, on a Tyler Stewart three-pointer with 6:16 left. The Pioneers would gain their largest lead of the ballgame at twenty-one, at 92-71, on a Clarissa Perez three-pointer with six seconds left. The Pioneers won the game 92-74 extending the Banana Slugs losing streak to two.

Michelle Poole had a game high nineteen points to lead the Banana Slugs. Aunjanay Chambers had seventeen points for the Pioneers. Jenna Sparks had eleven points and Kim Tom, off the bench, had ten points in the loss. McColor had fourteen, Taylor Jackson had thirteen and Price had ten points for the Pioneers.

The Banana Slugs shot 33.8% (26-77) from the field, 22.2% (6-27) from the three-point line and were 61.5% (16-26) from the free throw line. The Pioneers shot 31.1% (32-103) from the field, 23.8% (10-42) from the three-point line and 81.8% (18-22) from the foul line. UC Santa Cruz's defense forced nineteen Pioneer turnovers scoring twenty points off the turnovers while the Pioneers' defense forced twenty-four turnovers by UC Santa Cruz scoring twenty points off the turnovers. University of Antelope Valley outrebounded UC Santa Cruz 78-53 and the Pioneers had thirteen second chance points (28-15) than did the Banana Slugs.

The next game for the Banana Slugs is Saturday as they will take on California Miramar University at 1 pm. The game will take place in San Dimas on the campus of Life Pacific College.