RIVERSIDE--- The California Baptist University women's basketball team celebrated its two seniors on Saturday afternoon as they defeated Utah Tech 94-74 in a wire-to-wire contest in Riverside.
The 94 points scored was a new season-high and the second time in conference play that the Lancers have scored over 90 in a victory. CBU now moves into a tie for second place with Tarleton at 9-5 in the Western Athletic Conference standings and will have an all-important road contest next week against the Texans. CBU has been one of the hottest teams in the conference over the past month, as they are now winners of four of their past five contests as WAC Vegas nears.
The offensive display was evident from the jump as the Lancers erupted for five triples in the opening quarter, including two from one of the seniors Nhug Bosch Duran who laced a pair in the closing seconds. Bosch Duran had 11 of her 13 points in the opening frame alone and would connect on three of her four triples. The physicality of both teams ramped up in the second period as the two squads were aggressive at driving to the rim and would get rewarded with several trips to the free-throw line. The Trailblazers would win up, outscoring the Lancers in the frame 24-21, but CBU would hold onto its double-digit lead 47-35.
The Lancers looked as if they were going to completely blow the game open in the opening minutes of the third quarter as they would advance their lead to 56-36 after a Grace Schmidt three-pointer. The Trailblazers would battle back into the game and would eventually cut the lead down to single digits at 64-57 with 3:21 left in the period. Emma Johansson would end the momentum with a personal 7-0 run to swing all the momentum back in the home team's favor. The physicality continued in the second half as the two teams would combine for 22 fouls that resulted in 28 free throw attempts. The fourth period was a dominant showing for CBU's defense as they just allowed five made field goals and would round out the victory 94-74.
Anaiyah Tu'ua, the Lancer's other senior, would have a senior day to remember with a near triple-double effort in 36 minutes of action. Tu'ua would score a team-high 21 points, dish out ten assists, and haul in nine rebounds for an all-around incredible performance. Four other Lancers would find themselves in double figures, including Bosch Duran (13), Khloe Lemon (15), Schmidt (19), and Johansson (14). CBU made the most of their free-throw opportunities, connecting on 19 of their 22 attempts for an 86% mark. The percentage was their best of the season an the second most in a single game this season for CBU. Â
NEXT: CBU will embark on a critical road trip to Texas next week as they face Tarleton on Thursday and UT Arlington on Saturday to conclude the regular season.
