March 12, 2011
Box Score
POMONA, Calif. – The No. 22 Cal State Monterey Bay women's basketball team saw its historical season come to a closure on Saturday, falling 55-35 to No. 7 Grand Canyon in the NCAA West Regional Semi-Finals at Kellogg Gym on the campus of Cal Poly Pomona.
Sophomore #Holly Holcomb# had a team-high nine points, six rebounds and four steals. Senior #Julie Heurung# also notched six boards on top of her eight points. Junior #Brandi Stephens# added eight points.
The Otters held NCAA Division II leading scorer Samantha Murphy to only 14 points.
“We're the best defensive team in the country and I still believe that," said head coach #Renee Jimenez#. "We did everything right. We did everything absolutely perfect, but the name of the game is basketball and the ball's got to go in the basket. That's where we fell short.”
The teams were knotted at 10 with 13 minutes of play left in the first half. The Otters raised their level of defense by limiting GCU to scoring only from the charity stripe for until the three minute mark. GCU's Maylinn Smith and Murphy hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give GCU a 22-19 lead. A free throw and layup by junior #Brandi Stephens# tied the game, but Smith sank both free throws to give GCU a 24-22 advantage at the break.
The Otter offense stumbled in the second half on 3-of-30 from the field. GCU took advantage by scoring 31 points to cruise to the West Regional final.
"This group has set a new standard," Jimenez said. "Anything less than this will not be acceptable. We haven't had time to sit back and think about our accomplishments because there was always a bigger picture. At some point I'm sure what we have accomplished will sink in."
Seniors #Julie Heurung#, #London Houchin#, #LaShawn Johnson# and #Michelle Santizo# made their mark in Otter history by leading the 2010-11 squad to many firsts in this young program's existence. CSUMB concluded the 2010-11 season with a 27-4 record, bypassing last year's program-high by nine victories. The Otters won the university's second regular season California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) title, finishing with a 20-2 conference record. Since the middle of January when the first national statistics were released, the Otters have been ranked No. 1 in scoring defense by holding their opponents to an average of 51.2 points a game.
