Women Lose CCAA Road Contest at Bakersfield, 67-55
January 7, 2005

Courtesy Cal State Bakersfield Sports Information Office

Complete Box Score

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - After a tentative first half in which both teams struggled to find their footing, the Cal State Bakersfield women’s basketball team came on strong in the second half to upend Cal State Dominguez Hills 67-55 at Centennial Garden in Bakersfield.

CSUB (8-2, 2­1 CCAA) keeps pace in the early California Collegiate Athletic Association race with the win. Cal State Dominguez Hills (4-5, 2­1) loses its share of first place with the loss.

Junior guard Katie McElree led all scorers with 20 points for CSUB. It was her seventh 20-point game of the season. Senior guard Shakaria Jones added 17 points while senior center Charlre-l Jackson notched her first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Senior guard Octavia Askew led the Toros with 17 points. Freshman forward Alana Bailey had 12 points and 15 rebounds.

Neither team could find the bottom of the basket in the first half. CSUB shot just 33 percent from the field. The Toros, meanwhile, missed their first 11 shots. They shots just 24 percent in the first half and 27 percent for the game.

CSUDH led 1-0 early then never led again. But CSUB’s offensive woes prevented the Roadrunners from pulling away until midway through the second period.

CSUB gradually increased its lead at the beginning of the second half. The lead got to double digits at 41-31 on the Katie McElree jumper. The advantage was double digits for good when Gillian Lillich’s 19-foot jumper made it 43-32.

The ’Runners led by as many as 21 points (55-34) and led by 20 at 67-47 before a late Toro rally closed the gap. CSUDH scored eight unanswered points in the final two minutes.

CSUB returns to action Saturday, hosting Cal Poly Pomona in a matchup of the teams that combined for the last five CCAA titles. CSUDH plays at Cal State L.A. Saturday evening.