January 22, 2011
Box Score
CHICO, Calif. – The Lexus tagline is “Pursuit of Perfection” and the Cal State Monterey Bay women's basketball team has been that the first part of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) season. The Otters picked up their first victory at Acker Gymnasium with a 51-38 victory over Chico State on Saturday night.
“Tonight was one of our best defensive efforts of the season and showed exactly why we are the No. 1 defensive team in the country,” said head coach #Renee Jimenez#. “With the injury sustained to
Erika Ward in last night's game,
Jessica Fontenette stepped up to the plate tonight and really played a great defensive game for us.”
The Otters are now 16-0 overall and 12-0 against CCAA opponents. With 11 other teams in the conference, CSUMB has already recorded a sweep over San Francisco State and has 10 games remaining of the regular season.
With a combo of depth and defense throughout the season, senior #Julie Heurung# is the first Otter to record a double-double this season with 12 points and 16 rebounds. Senior #London Houchin# led CSUMB with 13 points and was perfect at the charity stripe (6-6). Senior #Michelle Santizo# went 4-for-5 from behind the 3-point line for a total of 12 points.
“Julie really carried the load this weekend for our post play and was a beast on the boards,” Jimenez said. “She and Shonetta have really played solid which has opened up some more opportunities for our guard. Santizo really stepped up tonight and hit some big shots right when we needed them to give us a huge momentum boost. “
The Otters never relinquished the lead after jumping out to 6-0 on 3-pointers by Santizo and Heurung in the opening two minutes.
The Wildcats stayed on CSUMB's heels throughout the first half and took a 22-17 lead at the break.
Chico State cut the gap to within six on a free-throw by Molly Collins with 6:29 remaining. Senior #LaShawn Johnson# responded by knocking down a 3-pointer to make it 37-28.
After a dismal performance at the line last night, the Otters tied a season-high free-throw percentage by making 14-of-16 (83.3).
For the tenth time this season, the Otters won the battle of the boards with 46 to Chico State's 33. The Otters defense, ranked No. 1 in the nation, held the Wildcats scoreless from beyond the arc (0-13) and to only 22.6 percent from the field.
“To sweep the entire first round of conference especially when we played 7 of 12 of those games on the road is a huge accomplishment for this team and not an easy thing to do,” Jimenez said. “I couldn't be more proud of the heart they have shown.”
The Otters return home on Friday, Jan. 26 to host the Broncos of Cal Poly Pomona at 5:30 p.m. The Broncos finish the first half of CCAA action in the second spot of the standings.
