CLAREMONT (1-25) – UC Santa Cruz played their first game in Southern California as they took on Pomona-Pitzer. The Sagehens outscored the Banana Slugs by sixteen in the third quarter to win 71-62. 

In the first quarter, the Sagehens started on a 6-2 spurt capped by a Cameron Edward three-pointer with 9:03 left in the quarter. The Banana Slugs responded with a 9-4 run, capped by a Kaylee Murphy layup with 4:58 left in the quarter, to gain the lead at 11-10 and led 16-14 at the end of the first quarter. The Banana Slugs would start the second quarter on an 11-2 run, capped by an Amanda Inserra three pointer with 5:27 left in the half, to gain a double-digit lead at 27-16. The Banana Slugs would gain their largest lead of the half at fourteen, at 38-24 at halftime.        

In the third, the Banana Slugs gained their largest lead of the ballgame at sixteen, at 40-24, on Murphy layup's with 0:15 into the quarter. From that point, the Sagehens went on a 19-2 run to take the lead at 43-42 with 1:13 left. After Murphy gave the Banana Slugs the lead back at 44-43 on a layup, the Sagehens answered with an Edward three-pointer with thirty-eight seconds left for a 46-44 lead at the end of the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, the two teams traded baskets for the first few minutes of the quarter. The Banana Slugs would tied the game at 52-52 on Savannah Henson's layup with 6:38 left. The Sagehens would go on a 12-2 run for a 64-54 lead with 3:05 left and never trailed again. 

Murphy had a game-high 26 points and 15 rebounds for the Banana Slugs. It's her ninth double-double this season. Ashley Kowack had 16.  Renae Tamura had seventeen to lead the Sagehens.  UC Santa Cruz outrebounded Pomona-Pitzer 40-37 while the Sagehens had eighteen more points off the bench (23-5) than did the Banana Slugs.

The next game for the Banana Slugs will be tomorrow as they take on Westcliff University in Orange. Game time is set for 2:30 pm.