TURLOCK, Calif. — The Cal State Monterey Bay women's basketball team kept making runs, but Northwest Nazarene had and answer for each one, pulling away in the fourth quarter to win 96–69 Saturday on Day 2 of the CCAA/GNAC Challenge in Fitzpatrick Arena.
CSUMB (0–2 overall) got a career–high 21 points from senior guard
Aubri Smith (Ventura College/Buena HS), who keyed several Otter surges with a high–energy performance. But each time the Otters got within striking range, NNU responded to keep them at arm's length until finally making the lead unreachable in the closing minutes.
CSUMB trailed by 17 points in the final two minutes of the first quarter before a 13–2 run got it to within eight at 31–23 less than three minutes later. The deficit was 17 points again in the second before
Alexa Sperling (Clovis/Buchanan HS),
Courtney Keaton (Bishop Montgomery HS) and Smith led a 9–0 run in the 95 seconds surrounding halftime to pull the Otters close again at 48–42 early in the second half.
The Otters stayed within striking distance until NNU eased away late, finishing the game on a 24–7 run to account for the final margin.
THE GAME WAS STATISTICALLY OVER WHEN… Raquel Jardine made a layup with 4:12 remaining to put NNU on top 83–64.
SMITH'S CAREER HIGH… Aubri Smith's 21 points represent her career–high, surpassing the 17 points she scored at Cal State San Bernardino on Feb. 4 last season.
THE FITZ ON THE FRITZ… Things have gone haywire for the Otters in Fitzpatrick Arena in recent years. Including both games this weekend, CSUMB is 0–6 in The Fitz dating back to the 2014 season.
LEADERS OF THE RAFT… POINTS:
Aubri Smith 21; REBOUNDS:
Courtney Keaton 8; ASSISTS:
Aubri Smith 6; BLOCKS:
Courtney Keaton 2; STEALS:
Courtney Keaton 2.
THE LAST WORD… "We played a really good Northwest Nazarene team today. This was a good learning experience because they made us pay for every defensive mistake. We had a better offensive game than yesterday, but still had too many turnovers which led to easy baskets for them." –
CSUMB Head Coach Kerri Nakamoto
THEY'VE GOT NEXT… The Otters return to the friendly confines of The Kelp Bed for their 2017–18 home opener when they host Academy of Art University Tuesday (Nov. 14) for a 5 p.m. tipoff.
GO OTTERS!
