November 21, 2009
Box Score
MONMOUTH, Ore. – Junior #London Houchin# scored 14 points as the Cal State Monterey Bay women's basketball team defeated Northwest Nazarene, 57-54, Saturday afternoon in the Phoenix Inn & Suites Invitational. Senior forward #Veronica Williams# and junior center #Julie Heurung# each chipped in 13 points.
"These were two big wins for us on the road against two regional opponents," said head coach Renee Jimenez. "Since we have so many new players who have never played back-to-back, it gave us a feel of what the rigours of the CCAA will be like."
The Otters (2-0) shot 15-for-30 (.500) to take a 37-24 lead into halftime. The Crusaders came out strong in the second half, tying the game at 48-48 with 8:16 remaining. An old-fashion three-point play by Williams followed by Houchin's three-pointer at 7:19 gave the Otters a 54-48 advantage.
NNU would close the gap to 56-54 with 35 seconds remaining on a layup by Heather Adams. The Crusaders fouled twice to stop the clock from running down, sending Heurung to the line for a one-in-one. Heurung made the front end of her free throw, but missed the second one. A failed three-point attempt by Janee Olds with six seconds on the clock clinched the Otter victory.
Senior #Lindsay Trout# added eight points while senior #Jazz Herrera# pulled down seven boards.
"We had different people step-up each night and we are realy learning how to play as a team," Jimenez said. "We played Otter Basketball this weekend.
"We played fast, we played hard and we played tough!"
The Crusaders were led by Jennifer Williams with 14 points while Olds added nine points and six rebounds.
#Michelle Santizo# was named Tournament MVP after averaging 9.5 points per game, making 7-of-11 (.636) from the field and shooting 50 percent from beyond the arc. #Veronica Williams# was also named to the All-Tournament team after averaging 9.5 points and 3.6 rebounds in the two games.
The Otters take two weeks off before their home and conference opener, hosting Cal State Stanislaus on Friday Dec. 4 at the Kelp Bed.
