CSUB women continue concerning offensive trend in loss to UC Davis
Jan. 8—Entering Saturday afternoon's matchup with UC Davis, the question for the Cal State Bakersfield women's basketball team was who could boost its struggling offense, especially with major contributors Shaunae Brown and Hennie van Schaik still injured.
The Roadrunners got an answer. It just wasn't a totally satisfying one.
Forward Kayla Morris had by far the best game of her collegiate career, going head-to-head with a tall UC Davis lineup and emerging with 22 points (including three 3-pointers, equaling her season total), 10 rebounds and five blocks.
The rest of the CSUB offense, however, combined for just 21 points.
And while the Roadrunners held a narrow halftime lead, they crumbled during a 12-0 Aggie run to open the third quarter, ultimately shooting just 5-for-21 in the second half of what became a 60-43 defeat.
"I feel like we just got a little comfortable since we had a little lead at halftime," said redshirt senior guard Taylor Caldwell. "So we just gotta come out the same as we do when we start the game, in being aggressive and staying locked in on defense."
UC Davis, which under coach Jennifer Gross runs a frenetic Princeton-style offense defined by off-ball motion and backdoor cuts, wasn't hitting its numerous open shots in the first quarter. However, the Aggies sank 11 3-pointers over the next three quarters, thanks to repeated penetration into the paint.
Go-to scorer Evanne Turner finished with 21 points to lead her team. Tess Sussman finished as the only other UC Davis player in double digits; she was singlehandedly responsible for a 9-0 run in the fourth quarter that put the game out of reach, featuring a four-point play when she was fouled by Sophia Tougas on a 3-pointer from the wing.
The Roadrunners missed van Schaik. The sophomore forward, their leading scorer, averaged 30 minutes per game over the first three games of league play but said pregame her ankle injury had gotten worse and would have to be reevaluated.
"Hats off to her for even trying to be out there on the floor the times when she did come back," CSUB coach Greg McCall said, "because you know, you could still tell that it just wasn't healthy ... We just had to shut her back down. It's unfortunate that she's such a big piece to what we do."
In van Schaik's absence, Morris spelled Soli Herrera early in Saturday's game and quickly made her presence known with 11 points in her first 10 minutes of playing time on her way to the career highs. She'll now look to bring the momentum into future games.
"Just (have to) always keep a positive mindset," Morris said, "just try to bring it to practice whenever the next time we have practice (is), and then just bring it to the next game and try to put my energy into my teammates, and hopefully we can come out with a positive outcome the next game."
After an even first quarter, the Aggies sank four 3s in three minutes to open the second, countered by just two for the Roadrunners. After a timeout by McCall, CSUB scored nine straight points, including hard-won layups on a pair of Caldwell drives, to go up 25-21.
Turner struck back after the break. CSUB had a five-point lead, but it evaporated in 50 seconds following a Turner floater, a Herrera turnover and a Turner 3-pointer.
"Our third quarter hurt us bad," McCall said. "It put us in a hole. We can't come out and play inconsistent basketball."
The quarter continued apace as the Aggies ran roughshod. Morris helped bring the Roadrunners back with a post layup, and Garrisen Freeman added a free throw to cut the deficit to 35-31, but Turner and Sussman led a 16-4 run into the fourth quarter that cemented the result. Ultimately, the Roadrunners were outscored 37-15 in the second half.
They dropped to 4-8 (1-3 Big West) and will travel to face UC Santa Barbara Wednesday.
Reporter Henry Greenstein can be reached at 661-395-7374. Follow him on Twitter: @HenryGreenstein.
