Esther Matarranz doubled the fun on the way to No. 700.
Matarranz recorded her second double-double of the season as the UC Riverside women’s basketball team beat Cal State Bakersfield 60-48 on Saturday, Jan. 25 for the 700th victory in the history of the program, which began in the 1971-72 season.
The 6-foot-2 senior forward had a key steal and a layup with 2 minutes remaining to finish off CSU Bakersfield and get the Highlanders back in the win column. Matarranz totaled 12 points, 10 rebounds, three steals, and one block.
“(It) was a great win to protect our home court,” head coach Brian Langston said. “Esther delivered a huge performance in the second half.”
After back-to-back road losses by a combined four points at UC San Diego and UC Irvine, UC Riverside fell behind early and trailed 26-22 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Seneca Hackley and junior guard Jordyn Marshall hit from long range, sinking three-pointers as the Highlanders exploded on offense, locked down on defense, and took a 44-32 lead into the fourth quarter.
Junior guard Makayla Rose had a steal and an assist on a bucket by freshman guard Kaylani Polk, and Hackely buried another 3-pointer as UCR went on a 10-2 run.
“Our team really found its flow after the break,” Langston said. “I’m proud of how we came together and closed it out strong.”
UC Riverside’s offense slowed in the fourth quarter with just four points over the first 5-plus minutes but Matarranz poked the ball away and finished it at the other end to maintain a double-digit lead at the final buzzer.
Matarranz’ understudy, 6-1 sophomore forward Maya Chocano, had a career-high 12 rebounds to help the Highlanders control the boards.
Hackely, a graduate transfer from Northern Colorado, finished 6 of 15 from the field (3 of 5 from 3-point range) for a career-high 17 points, and Rose added eight points and three assists.
UC Riverside (9-10 overall, 5-4 Big West), which is 0-3 on the road in conference play since the beginning of January, travels to play at UC Davis (12-7, 6-3) on Thursday, and at Cal Poly (9-10, 4-5) on Saturday.
JACKSON LEADING COYOTES
Point guard Jaida Jackson (Valley View High) is a big reason behind Cal State San Bernardino’s women’s basketball team’s latest hot streak.
The Coyotes (7-10 overall, 6-6 CCAA) have won four consecutive games and are back in the thick of the race for a spot in the California Collegiate Athletic Association postseason tournament.
Jackson, a graduate student, is averaging a career-high 12.6 points per game with 70 assists and 38 steals this season.
She has 930 career points, ranking her 10th all-time in CSUSB history (as of Jan. 28). She’s also second all-time in assists (318) and third all-time in steals (208).
BASEBALL BEGINNINGS
While Riverside City College and Cal Poly Pomona played their annual preseason series last weekend, Friday marks the official beginning of the local college baseball season.
Cal State San Bernardino, an NCAA Division II World Series participant in 2023, opens with a three-game series against Azusa Pacific that includes a double-header at Fiscalini Field in San Bernardino starting at noon Saturday.
The Broncos, who have a .610 winning percentage in 14 seasons under coach Randy Betten, host nationally-ranked Westmont for three games starting Friday at Scolinos Field in Pomona.
California Baptist begins its season at Totman Stadium with a three-game series against Portland on Feb. 14-16.
UC Riverside hosts Utah Valley at the Riverside Sports Complex for a four-game set Feb. 14-17.
ODDS & ENDS
The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men’s basketball team rallied from an 11-point deficit to beat Pomona-Pitzer 72-71 in double overtime on Saturday, Jan. 25. Sophomore guard Reid Jones sank a buzzer-beater from 10 feet to force overtime, and won it on a putback with 4.7 seconds left. …
Senior Breanna Zapata (Alta Loma HS) had five goals and three steals as the La Verne women’s water polo team opened its season with a 21-9 over Redlands at the CBU Lancer Aquatics Center in Riverside on Saturday, Jan. 25. Zapata was named SCIAC player of the week. … Sophomore guard Nate Simon (Roosevelt) had 24 points, nine assists and six rebounds as the Chaffey College men’s basketball extended its winning streak to nine games with a 110-102 victory over Mt. San Jacinto on Monday, Jan. 27. The Panthers (17-4 overall, 9-0 IEAC) hold a one-game lead over San Bernardino Valley (17-4, 8-1) in the Inland Empire Athletic Conference.
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