California Baptist University
12-0,4-0WAC
Tarleton State
3-8,0-2WAC
CBU Earns Second-Straight Sweep, Runs Record to NCAA Best 12-0
1/16/2021 3:25:00 PM | Women's Basketball
STEPHENVILLE – Less than 24 hours after holding off the Texans for a 10-point victory, California Baptist University was back in Wisdom Gym for the second leg of its doubleheader at Tarleton State. The Lancers closed out their second consecutive Western Athletic Conference series sweep in convincing fashion, as they defeated Tarleton State 89-66.
The Lancers secured the convincing victory despite getting off to a slow start in the opening three minutes and trailing 11-0 at one point. CBU then outscored TSU 46-17 over the rest of the first half and never looked back.
⚔️8⃣9⃣-6⃣6⃣😈
CBU shot the lights out in Texas as they cruised to their second consecutive WAC series sweep! The Lancers are now the only undefeated team in the land with 12 wins & are tied with NC State for the third longest active win streak in the nation at 15!#LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/2Hhy1WqGUV— CBU WBB 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 (@CBUwbb) January 16, 2021
"I thought we showed great resiliency today. We were down 11-0 to start the game, but came back to win the first quarter by two," Coach Jarrod Olson said. "Our ball movement was good and led to good opportunities from three. It is a lot of fun to watch when the ball is moving like that."
The Lancers now sit at 12-0, 4-0 in the WAC for the season and have caught and tied NC State for the third-longest active win streak in the nation at 15 in a row.
CBU was led by its floor general, senior guard Ane Olaeta, who dropped 18 points. She split her scoring evenly between the two halves and added six assists and four rebounds. Freshman Nicole Avila-Ambrosi had another huge game and tied her career-high with 18 points on an efficient 7-9 from the field and 4-6 from beyond the arc. For the series, Avila-Ambrosi averaged 16 points, 57.1 percent from both the field (12-21) and three-point land (8-14).
⛹️♀️💨
Ane has 18 and the Lancers lead by 18. Not a coincidence.#LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/Jw25AemjDh— CBU WBB 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 (@CBUwbb) January 16, 2021
Both Olson and teammate Brittany Klaman had nothing but praise for Avila-Ambrosi after the game.
"Nicole really played well in both games. She is a tough defender and has really done a good job of making simple plays on offense," Olson said. "She has worked so hard on her shooting this year and it is great to see her have a weekend like this."
Klaman added, "I think everyone played really well this weekend, especially Nicole, she really balled out. She's a player who's fun to play with because she really attacks the game."
BY THE NUMBERS
Despite trailing in both games, the Lancers found a way to walk away with a pair of double-digit wins.
"We were in a position where we were behind and we had to find it in ourselves to comeback early and get the win," said Klaman. "Those kinds of wins are always the most fun".
The Lancers closed out the series with an offensive clinic, as they shot 52.4 percent (33-63) from the field and 45.2 (14-31) from beyond the arc. Their efforts from three marked the team's most made threes in a game this season at the second-highest clip.
It also marked the third time this season the Lancers shot 50 percent or better from the field, thanks in large part to efficient shooting from Avila-Ambrosi, Britney Thomas (4-5) and Klaman (4-6), who set a new career-high with 12 points -- all from deep.
⚔️6⃣7⃣-4⃣5⃣😈
Ane Olaeta lures in the defense before setting up Brittany Klaman for a knock down three pointer to end the third quarter!#LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/CfbZaiRwVz— CBU WBB 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 (@CBUwbb) January 16, 2021
WHAT'S NEXT
The Lancers return to Riverside for a pair of games against Chicago State on Friday and Saturday. Both games are scheduled for 2 p.m. starts.
