February 6, 2010
Box Score
ARCATA, Calif. - The Cal State Monterey Bay women's basketball team shot 56 percent in the second half to pull off a 73-59 victory over Humboldt State in Lumberjack Arena on Saturday night.
With the win, the Otters improve to 14-5 overall and 10-5 in California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) action. The Jacks fall to 14-6, 12-4 in conference play.
“This was a huge win for us tonight,” said head coach Renee Jimenez. “We have been talking a lot about if we want to be the best, we have to beat the best and Humboldt is not just one of the toughest teams in the conference, it's the hardest place to play.”
Junior #LaShawn Johnson# led all scorers with 23 points, 16 in the second half. Senior #Veronica Williams# scored all of her 16 points in the second half. Junior #Julie Heurung# nabbed her first double-double of the season with 15 points and 14 rebounds. Junior #Michelle Santizo# also recorded double-digits with 11 points along with her three steals and three assists.
Both teams started off slow, scoring just seven points each in the first nine minutes. Johnson's 3-pointer at 8:28 gave the Otters a four-point lead, 14-10. The Lumberjacks fought back to tie it up at 19-19 with 2:24 to play before the half.
HSU finished the first half with an 8-2 run, taking a 27-21 lead to the locker room.
Four minutes into the second half, Williams and Johnson caught fire. Over an eight minute, 18 second run, the two combined to score 26 of the next 31 points for CSUMB. The Otters went from nine points down to 11 points up. Williams scored 14, including three 3-pointers and Johnson had 12. HSU trailed 57-46 with 7:17 to play.
CSUMB made 11-of 14 free throws down the stretch to secure a 73-59 victory.
“I am so proud of this team for locking down on defense and getting huge stops,” Jimenez said. “We really played a great second half on the offensive end and
LaShawn Johnson came off the bench for us tonight and had a huge offensive game and took some key charges at just the right time. It is never easy to win on the road in the CCAA but this team really pulled together and got a huge road sweep.”
The Jacks were led by senior Brittney Taylor with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
The Otters hope to record their fourth consecutive conference victory on Wednesday, Feb. 10, traveling to San Francisco State for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off.
