Nineteenth-ranked UC Santa Cruz used amazing outside shooting to run past Cal Lutheran 75-54 Sunday afternoon at Kaiser Permanente Arena.
UC Santa Cruz improved to 9-1 for the best start in program history.
The game was close early, with both teams making runs. It was tied at 11-all before UC Santa Cruz went on an 11-2 run capped by Amanda Inserra's three that made it 22-13 with 2:24 left in the first. Cal Lutheran answered with a pair of threes in the last 40 seconds to make it 22-19 at the break.
Another two Cal Lutheran layups to start the second gave the visitors a 23-22 lead 8:45 before halftime. The Banana Slugs responded with an 11-0 run that gave them a 33-23 lead with 5:16 left. Two shots by the Regals got them within 33-27, but two three-pointers by Ashley Kowack started a 12-0 run that gave UC Santa Cruz a 45-27 lead at halftime. The Regals never got closer than that the rest of the way as UC Santa Cruz led by as much as 26 in the game.
Overall, the Banana Slugs shot 50% from the field (29-58) in the game, including 10-26 (38.5%) from three. 

"As a point guard, to have people you can pass to and get excited when they shoot, it's the perfect combination," Aubrey Wagner said after the game. "Anywhere you pass you are going to have good looks. It just makes your job easier."
Wagner finished with 12 assists, a new school single-game record. It was two better than her previous career-high which had put her in a group of six women who had ten assists in a game. The Senior from Oakland broke the mark with 0:25 left in the third when she found Jenna Gorton open under the basket. That made the Banana Slug lead 64-41 at the end of the third. Wagner added the 12th on a pass to Kaylee Murphy with 5:21 left in the game. Wagner stole the ball and added a layup about a minute later that pushed the Santa Cruz lead to 73-47 before coming out.

Kowack finished with a season-high 24 points. Inserra added 20 on 6-10 three-point shooting, becoming the ninth woman in program history with over 100 treys. Murphy had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Tess Oakley-Stilson added 10.
Janna Holley led Cal Lutheran (4-2) with 15 points. Aliya DiMuro had 10 points plus a game-high 12 rebounds.
The Banana Slugs are back in action on Tuesday evening when they host No. 14 Wisconsin-Whitewater in the December Classic.