SEASIDE, Calif. — After a tough opening weekend on the road, a little home cooking proved to be just what the doctor ordered for the Cal State Monterey Bay women's basketball team. The Otter led nearly wire-to-wire in an 84–69 win over Academy of Art Tuesday evening in The Kelp Bed.

ArtU scored the first two points, but it was all Otters from there as CSUMB built its first double–digit lead at 18–6 less than six minutes into the first quarter. The Urban Knights pulled to within four early in the second quarter, but the Otters ended the first half on a 21–4 run that gave them complete control.

CSUMB extended its lead to as many as 31 points (66–35) before a late ArtU surge made the final margin a bit more respectable.

Point guard Aubri Smith (Ventura/Buena HS) continued the sizzling start to her senior season by exploding for a career–high 24 points, six assists and three steals Tuesday night. Senior forward Courtney Keaton (Bishop Montgomery HS) chipped in her second career double–double with 10 points and a career–high 16 rebounds.
 

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THE GAME WAS STATISTICALLY OVER WHEN… Jennifer Saelio's 3–pointer made it 66–35 Otters with 2:25 remaining in the third quarter.

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME FOR AN OPENER… The Otters improved to 5–0 in home openers under Head Coach Kerri Nakamoto. The Otters have now won 11 consecutive homers openers dating back to the 2006–07 season and are 12–2 in home openers at the NCAA Division II level.

70 IS THE ANSWER TO EVERYTHING… With apologies to Douglas Adams, the answer to everything isn't 42, it's 70. Tuesday's 84–69 win over Academy of Art lifted CSUMB to is 39–5 when scoring 70 or more points since the 2008–09 season. The Otters have won 15 consecutive games when scoring at least 80 points dating back to the 2005–06 season.

LEADERS OF THE RAFT… POINTS: Aubri Smith 24; REBOUNDS: Courtney Keaton 16; ASSISTS: Aubri Smith 6; BLOCKS: Courtney Keaton 1; STEALS: Aubri Smith/Alexa Sperling 3.

THE LAST WORD… "Our biggest goal tonight was to get better at the things we didn't do (last) weekend. We're continuing to put one foot in front of the other and getting better each time we step on the floor." – CSUMB Head Coach Kerri Nakamoto

THEY'VE GOT NEXT… The Otters The Otters open CCAA play with a trip to SoCal. The 2–game swing begins Friday night at Cal State L.A. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. as the opener of men's/women's doubleheader action.