RIVERSIDE – Basketball is officially back, as the California Baptist University women's team took its first game handily against Fresno Pacific by a score of 90-39 on Wednesday in the CBU Events Center. The Lancers controlled every facet of the game, but truly shined down low where they outrebounded the Sunbirds 62-43 and tallied 54 points in the paint.

Postgame, Head Coach Jarrod Olson reflected on the game one effort from his team.

"The defense was sharp after that first five minutes, and we got better at moving the ball as the game went along," Olson said. "I think for the first game that was a good start. We got to see a lot of players contribute and we did a lot of positive things out there".

Britney Thomas and Caitlyn Harper had outstanding comeback performances. Thomas scored a game-high 17 points in just 13 minutes of work, and Harper notched the first double-double of the season, with 11 points and 14 rebounds.

"We're a better team when those two are in the game. Everything flows a little bit better when we have at least one of those two out there, and to be able to have them both today was really good," said Olson. "It was great to see them get their feet wet and I'm sure they'll continue to improve and will just keep getting better with each game".

COMING IN HOT

Freshman Nicole Avila-Ambrosi wasted no time acclimating to the next level, as she finished with 11 points, four boards, four assists, three blocks and five steals.

After the game, Thomas had high praise for the freshman Avila-Ambrosi saying, "She was really, really good today! She has such an amazing presence on defense and was so active and played really hard."

LOCKDOWN D

The wire-to-wire win showcased the Lancers ability to lockdown on defense, as they allowed the Sunbirds to shoot just 18.8 percent from the floor and just 7.1 percent from beyond the arc. CBU's stingy defense was also evident in the team totals of 11 blocks and 14 steals over the course of the game.

WHAT'S NEXT

The Lancers will travel to Irvine on Saturday, Nov. 28, to take on the Anteaters of UC Irvine. The contest will serve as UCI's season opener, with game time set for 3:00 p.m.