written by Jalen Kang

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. – Alexa Greenwood provided a spark off the bench for Cal Lutheran women's basketball in its 71-60 win over UC Santa Cruz. She scored a team-high 13 points in an all-around team win, helping the Regals spoil the Banana Slugs' finale at their Thanksgiving Classic tournament. 

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Banana Slugs (3-7) controlled the game for the first quarter and a half, holding a 29-24 advantage with 3:17 remaining in the second quarter. The Regals (3-1) caught fire to end the half, stunning the Banana Slugs with a 13-0 run during which they forced three turnovers and made four of six shots. Karinna MacMillan drilled a three-pointer to kick off the scoring and Alline Ballard followed it up with a pretty and-one turnaround jumper for a quick six points. The Regals converted a pair of free throws, Kaiya Mack floated in a baseline shot, and with seconds ticking off the clock, Greenwood heaved a near-half-court shot up and banked it in for an emphatic end to the run. The Regals led 37-29 at the half. 

It was a game of runs as the Banana Slugs answered in the third quarter with a 12-2 run of their own to knot the contest back up at 41-41. Greenwood knocked down a three on the Regals' next possession, putting a crucial pin in the Slugs' flurry. With 0:04 left, Ballard got an offensive rebound after a missed free throw, drew a foul, and knocked down both of her free throws to put the Regals up 49-45 going into the fourth quarter. 

The Regals opened the fourth with four answered buckets, two from Sara Mills and two from Aliya DiMuro, and in the blink of an eye, they led by 12 points, 57-45. They held off the Banana Slugs to cruise to the final buzzer with the lead, holding the Slugs to 30.8% in the fourth quarter. Mack went 8-8 from the free throw line in the final 1:14 to keep the game out of reach. 

FROM COACH KELLI DIMURO
"We used our inside presence and paint touches to create easier baskets and we did a great job executing our plays in the last 7 minutes of the fourth quarter. We got stops when we needed to and allowed our defense to dictate the pace of the game which settled us down." 

THE NUMBERS
- Greenwood: 13 points, 3 rebounds, 3-4 3PT
- Mack: 12 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 8-8 FT 
- DiMuro: 10 points, 2 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 assist
- Mills: 9 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals
- Ballard: 6 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks

UP NEXT
The Regals play their first conference matchup on Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. on the road against Pomona-Pitzer.