STEPHENVILLE – In 40 minutes there were nine ties and 15 lead changes, but at the end of the night California Baptist University continued its historic streak with a 70-60 win over Tarleton State.
It took four Lancers scoring in double figures and a big fourth quarter from freshman
Nicole Avila-Ambrosi for CBU to get by the Texans on Friday night. It improved the Lancers' record to 11-0, 3-0 in the Western Athletic Conference and pushed their active win streak to 14-straight.
Tarleton State had not played a competitive game in 25 days coming into the matchup, but it didn't show early on as the Texans led after the first, 18-15. The Lancers proved to be too efficient on offense and outshot the Texans (40 to 28 percent). They were tough on defense, too, and forced the WAC's least-turnover-prone team into an uncharacteristically high 18 turnovers.
Britney Thomas led with a team-high 17 points and 10 rebounds to record her third double-double of the season, along with fellow post-mate
Caitlyn Harper, who notched her second double-double of the year with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore
Taylor Wu poured in 14 points, as she took advantage of fastbreak opportunities and easy driving buckets.
It was the freshman Avila-Ambrosi who sealed the victory, though, as the Texas began to mount a comeback in the fourth. Avila-Ambrosi knocked down two huge three-pointers to open the final frame and sent the finishing three through the net with a minute left to put to rest any comeback thoughts for TSU.
DEFENSE EQUALS OFFENSE
The Lancers have been stifling opponents all year, but they're not just stopping scoring from happening, they are creating points for themselves, as well. The Lancers scored 16 points off of 18 Tarleton turnovers, on pace with the average 17.5 turnovers they force per game.
NATIONAL PICTURE
California Baptist University women's basketball is keeping pace with the best-of-the-best. as the Lancers are now 11-0 and tied with No. 1 Stanford and No. 2 Louisville for the most wins without a loss. CBU also maintains sole possession of the third-longest active win streak in the nation at 14 in a row -- dating back to last season. The streak sits behind only UConn (16) and NC State (15).
Ane Olaeta continues to amaze, as she added another six assists to bring her NCAA-leading tally to 85. Her 7.7 assist-per-game average places her third in the nation, but both tallies lead the WAC by a large margin.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Lancers will run it back with the Texans Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. PST before heading back to Riverside. The game can be seen on the WAC Digital Network.
