CLAREMONT, Ca. – The UC Santa Cruz women's basketball team concluded their Southern California road trip with a 60-49 loss to the CMS Athenas on Monday night, falling to 2-3 on the young season. Sarah Reuter led the team with 13 points and nine rebounds while Emilie Ngo added 10 points and five boards. The Slugs shot 32.7% from the field and struggled from beyond the three point line, going 2-18 for an 11.1% from three. UCSC will return home for their next contest on Nov. 25 at 2:00 p.m. when they host Menlo College in the West Field House.
 
How It Happened
The Athenas got off to a quick start, opening the contest on a 9-0 lead for just over four minutes of action, putting the Banana Slugs in an early hole. Fortunately, the Slugs were able to counter, closing the first quarter on a 12-6 advantage, trailing 15-12 heading into the second. The run saw points from Sarah Reuter, Danielle Tyner, Alyssa Jackson, Bria Tate, and Emilie Ngo.
 
CMS continued to pressure, pulling ahead by as much as 10 points in the second quarter at 24-14 but UCSC get their offense going once again as Reuter, Jackson, Ngo, and Katie Busch all worked to close the gap to 29-25 by the halftime break.
 
Out of the break, the Athenas struck first and didn't hold back as they increased their lead to 12 points at 46-34, outscoring UCSC 17-9 in the third quarter. The Banana Slugs fought hard in the fourth quarter, using baskets from Claire Galbo, Emilie Ngo, and Sarah Reuter to close the gap to six points at 52-46 with 4:12 on the clock. Unfortunately, CMS rallied late, using an 8-0 run to go up by 14 points at 60-46 with 2:12 remaining. The Slugs scored the last three points of the game with two free throws from Galbo and one from Tyner, but it wasn't enough as CMS took the 60-49 victory on Monday evening.