RIVERSIDE - Claudia Fiel had her breakout game as a Lancer on Tuesday night against Saint Louis, but the Billikens took advantage of late foul trouble for California Baptist to hold on for the 82-70 win. SLU improves to 3-3 on the season with an upcoming date against USC, while CBU remains in search of their first win of the season after six games.
Fiel did most of her damage in the paint, scoring 10 of her 18 on layups, including a pair of and-one efforts in the second half. She also did it at one of her best clips as a Lancer, shooting 7-11 from the field. Nhug Bosch Duran added 10 points to the Lancer cause, and Emma Johansson posted her second double-double of the season with 11 points and 13 rebounds, adding a career-high three blocks to her stat line. Grace Schmidt nearly joined Johansson in the double-double club but ended her night with nine points and nine rebounds.
The Billikens used a 13-0 run early in the first quarter to build a 16-6 lead by the first media timeout. The Lancers would answer towards the end of the frame with their own 13-2 run to keep it a one-point game at the first break. CBU would take back the lead early in the second and keep it close with traded baskets before SLU would hit back-to-back threes before halftime to secure a 40-36 advantage at halftime.
The second half saw Saint Louis inch further away from the Lancers, increasing their lead by three in the third and five in the fourth. The Billikens used the Lancers' aggression against them, forcing three Lancers into the burden of playing with four fouls and getting one more to foul out.
The Lancers will return to the court on Friday as they partake in the FGCU Homewood Suites Classic, hosted by Florida Gulf Coast University, in Fort Meyers. CBU will take on the host Eagles at 1:00 p.m. Pacific time, with the game being streamed on ESPN+.
