Full-Team Effort Leads Lancers to Crosstown Showdown Victory Over UCR

Saturday, December 5

Riverside, Calif.

2 PM

California Baptist University

4-0,0-0WAC

UC Riverside

0-1,0-0Big West

UC Riverside

California Baptist

Full-Team Effort Leads Lancers to Crosstown Showdown Victory Over UCR

12/5/2020 4:55:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: Daniel Cook, Assistant Director of Athletics Communications

RIVERSIDE – California Baptist University women's basketball ran its season-opening win streak to four straight games, as the Lancers defeated UC Riverside 67-58 in the 2020 Crosstown Showdown. CBU led wire-to-wire in the Events Center with the help of four Lancers scoring in double-figures.

CBU won every quarter and seemed to have a different player step up in each frame. Tiena Neale led the charge in the first quarter, scoring all seven of her points to open the game, while maintaining a perfect shooting percentage. Sydney Palma poured in all 11 of her points in the first half, including a team high six in the second quarter. The third quarter was the Britney Thomas show, as she was nearly unstoppable going 4-for-5 from the field, with a made free throw, for nine points in the frame. Finally, it was Caitlyn Harper in the fourth, coming up big with six of her team-high 12 points to help close out UCR.

Redshirt sophomore Sydney Palma spoke to her big first half after the game: "I just went with the flow of the game and I'm going to try to help the team in any way I can".

Caitlyn Harper, the point g̷u̷a̷r̷d̷ forward!#LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/24recnuPPt
— CBU W. Basketball 🔥🔥🔥🔥 (@CBUwbb) December 5, 2020

However, Ane Olaeta was consistent and reliable throughout the 33 minutes she played, and earned Player of the Game honors in the end. Not only did Olaeta crack double figures in the points column with 10, but her game-high 10 assists were more than the entire Highlander team combined. For good measure, she nabbed eight rebounds to nearly reach her first career triple-double.

Ane Olaeta drains back-to-back buckets to give the Lancers their largest lead of the day!#LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/2SNssZYtet
— CBU W. Basketball 🔥🔥🔥🔥 (@CBUwbb) December 5, 2020

The Highlanders did tie the game late in the third quarter, but the Lancers responded with a 9-1 run to close out the frame. UC Riverside never got the score closer than six after that, while CBU built up its lead to 10 multiple times throughout the fourth.

"We are excited when everyone contributes, whatever it takes to get the win," Harper said.

TEAM PLAY

The Lancers are now averaging 20.8 assists per game -- well ahead of their 18.2 from a season ago. They are doing so without the help of their second-best assist woman from a season ago, Georgia Dale. In terms of national rankings, CBU currently sits No. 11 in NCAA Division I in assist-per-game average in Division I, less than one assist per game behind the likes of Indiana, Louisville and South Florida.

DEFENDING HOME

CBU lived by the three last season but refuse to die by it this year. When playing in the CBU Events Center, the Lancers are holding opponents to just 18.8 percent (9-48) from three-point land. That is best in the WAC for any team that has played more than one game.

"We really have been focusing on defense this season because when we play good defense, it will be easier for us on the offensive end," Palma said.

UP NEXT

The Lancers will have a short break before welcoming the Warriors of William Jessup University to the CBU Events Center on Tuesday morning, with tip-off scheduled bright and early at 10:30 am.