Roadrunners' Strong Second Half Downs Toro Women, 78-74
Blue posts second straight 20+ point game in loss
January 6, 2006

Complete Box Score

Carson, CA - Cal State Bakersfield outscored the Toros 49-36, and capitalized on poor shooting by the Toros down the stretch to complete the come-from-behind 78-74 win. In the game Tameka Blue (Watsonville, CA/Santa Cruz HS) would lead all scorers with 23 points, adding seven assists and five rebounds in the effort. With the win, CSUB extends its winning streak to seven games and improves to 9-1 overall and 2-1 in the CCAA, while the Toros fall to 6-3 overall and 1-2 in conference.

The Roadrunners would struggle to begin the game, missing their first four shots, while the Toros built an early 4-0 lead in the first minute and a half of play. CSUB would begin to find its stride as the two teams began to trade baskets over the next five minutes. With CSUB heating up, the Toros would go ice cold and watch the Roadrunners go on a 13-3 run in a span of five minutes. With a 21-13 lead courtesy of a Kelly Tarver jump shot, it looked as though the Roadrunners were beginning to run away with the first half. CSUDH would respond and cut the lead to four on a pair of free throws by Ree Browne (Torrance, CA/South Torrance HS), but CSUB would quickly respond with a Jessie Loring jumper to push the lead back to six with 8:21 left to play.

The Toros offense would finally kick into high gear with 2:28 remaining, thanks in part to the four "Bs". Blue, Browne, Brittney Blankenship (Palmdale, CA/Palmdale HS) and Alana Bailey (Altadena, CA/John Muir HS) would combine to score all 14 points and grab five rebounds to finish first half on a 14-3 run as the Toros would head into the locker room with a 38-32 advantage.

The second half would begin with the Toros trying to maintain their lead small lead. CSUB would come out strong and use a jumper by Loring and a pair of free throws by Tarver to cut the lead to just two in the first minute of play. From there the two would lock horns, and over the next 10 minutes there would be five lead changes and five ties. After a pair of free throws by Krista Arase put the Roadrunners up one with 9:09 to go, CSUB would use a pair of lay-ups and a three by Katie McElree to build an eight point lead with 7:32 left in the game.

The Toros Aujanee Baldwin (Fontana, CA/Etiwanda HS) would come off the bench and give life to CSUDH, hitting a jumper to cut the lead to six. Jessica Liang (Alhambra, CA/Mark Keppel HS) would then hit a three for the ninth-straight game, and a jumper by Blue would cut the Roadrunners' lead to just one. A few possessions later the Toros would capture their first lead in nearly five minutes on a lay-up by Blue. The teams would trade buckets over the next four-plus minutes, ending with the Toros clinging to a two-point lead with just 1:17 to go. Tarver would hit a shot from beyond the arc to put CSUB back in front for good, though the Toros would have a couple of good looks at the end of the game. Rhonda Johnson led the Roadrunners with 18 points and 11 rebounds while Tarver and Loring chipped in 18 and 16 points, respectively.

For the Toros, Blankenship would add 14 points and six rebounds, while Bailey would contribute 11 points and nine rebounds. Brandy McGinest (Long Beach, CA/Kansas University) would lead all scorers off the bench with nine points and grab seven rebounds in the loss.

The Toros will next be in action tomorrow night when they take on the Golden Eagles of Cal State L.A., with tip off scheduled for 5:30 pm.