BOX SCORE

SEASIDE, Calif. — The Cal State Monterey Bay women's basketball team put itself in prime position to knock off the nation's lone undefeated team Friday night, but top–ranked UC San Diego had a bit too much moxie at the end and held on for a 72–64 win before a CSUMB record crowd of 817 in The Kelp Bed.

The game featured a playoff–like atmosphere with the raucous home crowd almost willing the Otters back into the game after UCSD opened its biggest lead at 55–41 seven and a half minutes into the second half. The Otters slowly chipped away at the deficit until an Erika Ward (Simi Valley/Royal HS/Ventura College) layup got them to within 65–62 inside the final three minutes.
“First off, the crowd and Blue Crue were our sixth man on the court tonight and were very much appreciated and necessary for us to have the kind of success we had,” said CSUMB Head Coach Renee Jimenez. “Their positive energy and enthusiasm makes The Kelp Bed one of the toughest places to play in the CCAA.”

Trailing  by three, CSUMB (17–6, 14–5 CCAA) twice held the ball with a chance to tie inside the final two minutes, but a turnover and a missed open three–point attempt thwarted the comeback effort. UCSD then made five consecutive free throws in the final 35 seconds to seal the win.

“I thought we answered the question that we have been waiting to answer since the last time we played UCSD and that is, 'yes we can play with them,'” said Jimenez. “Our staff is very proud of how hard our kids played tonight and we know that this team is going to make a deep run into March if we continue to play with the kind of effort and enthusiasm we played with tonight.”

Junior guard Stefanie Corgel (Manhattan Beach/UCSB) led CSUMB with 17 points while Brandi Stephens (Sacramento/El Camino HS) chipped in 13. Emily Osga led four players in double figures with 20 points for UCSD (25–0, 19–0 CCAA).

The Otters return to action Saturday when they host Cal State San Bernardino in the final regular season home game of 2011–12. The Otters will host a first–round CCAA Tournament game on Tuesday, Feb. 28.