RIVERSIDE - The California Baptist University women's basketball team welcomed UTEP on Saturday morning for their fourth game of the season and second home thriller of the year. This matchup is courtesy of the WAC/Conference USA scheduling initiative, which pits programs against each other throughout the non-conference schedule, with every team hosting and visiting a team from the other conference.
The Lancers and Miners were evenly matched teams that battled through an aggressive first four quarters, as the Lancers found the 90-87 victory in overtime. CBU improves to a 4-0 record on the season and Chloe Webb continues to make her mark offensively, leading the team to their second home win of the year with 24 points.
The squads traded the lead through the first quarter, but UTEP pulled ahead in the last minutes with a five-point run to a 22-15 lead. The Lancers continued to trail through the better part of the second quarter but helped bridge the gap with two minutes to play with seven made free-throws in a row. In total, California Baptist was awarded 42 free throws against the Miners and found the net 36 times, just two away from the all-time program record. Every single Lancer shot 70% or better from the line, helping keep the Miner's lead within reach.
The third quarter proved to be just as fast-paced as the other two, with UTEP bringing an aggressive style of play to the Lancer's home court. Jarod Olsen's squad was able to capitalize off several turnovers from the Miners, scoring on 19 fastbreak opportunities. The score was tied at 50 five minutes into the third quarter as the teams began going shot for shot into the fourth. A layup and pair of made free throws from Webb helped the Lancers build a small lead, but a last-chance layup from the Miners forced five minutes of overtime for the teams.
Khloe Lemon and Anaiyah Tu'ua both found buckets in the paint in the final two minutes of the game, but it was six more free throws for the Lancers that ultimately secured the 90-87 win.
Webb showed out at home once again, putting up 24 points against the Miners and going 90% from the Lancer line. Tu'ua posted a season-high 19 points on Saturday morning, as well as going 10-12 from the line and racking up five assists on the night. Schmidt found 15 points on the court and led the team in rebounds at 8, matching her season high.
The Lancers outscored UTEP in three of five periods, while the Miners outshot CBU in field goals 29-23 and in attempts 72-60. The free throw opportunities came in clutch for the Lancers, as they excelled 36-42 in comparison to UTEP's 21-25. The Miners also tallied 30 personal fouls to the Lancer's 26, while CBU posted 31 defensive rebounds to UTEP's 27.
The Lancers will now prepare to host Portland on Wednesday afternoon at 2 p.m. before their first Western Athletic Conference game against Southern Utah on Tuesday, November 28th.
