PARKLAND, Wa. – The UC Santa Cruz women's basketball team earned a 68-60 victory over the Lutes of Pacific Lutheran on Sunday evening.
Sarah Reuter led the team with 15 points and five rebounds while
Emilie Ngo and
Alyssa Jackson both added 11 points.
Danielle Tyner had a strong all-around performance with 10 points and 10 rebounds. The Slugs will have a one week break before traveling to Massachusetts to take on UMass Dartmouth on Dec. 29 at 3:00 p.m.
How It Happened
UC Santa Cruz got off to a quick start as
Emilie Ngo,
Alyssa Jackson, and
Lia Papador contributed to a 6-0 run to get the game going.
Danielle Tyner and
Sarah Reuter both added buckets to increase the lead to 10-4 with the Slugs closing out the quarter with a 10-7 advantage, going up 20-11 with threes from Jackson and
Katie Busch.
The Banana Slugs used a 7-0 run to start the second quarter with
Bria Tate hitting a shot from downtown while Ngo and Reuter both scored in the paint to put the Slugs up 27-11. A timely three from the Lutes brought the run to an end but Tate, Reuter, and
Claire Galbo worked well to keep the momentum and put UCSC ahead by 15 points at 34-19 with 4:58 to play in the second. The Banana Slugs preserved their double digit lead despite Pacific Lutheran earning a slight 8-7 advantage down the stretch, giving UCSC a 41-27 lead at the break.
Pacific Lutheran played well in the third quarter, outscoring the Banana Slugs 20-15. UC Santa Cruz extended their lead to as much as 17 points in the quarter as Reuter and Ngo kept trading buckets for UCSC, giving them the 50-33 advantage with 5:03 in the third. The Lutes bounced back with an 8-1 run to cut the lead to 51-41 and ended the third with a three pointer to pull within nine with the Slugs leading 56-47.
Pacific Lutheran hit a three to start the fourth, but
Katie Busch answered with a shot from downtown. The Lutes continued to battle as they used a 7-0 run close the gap to 59-57 with just over four minutes remaining.
Danielle Tyner hit back to back shots to put UCSC up 63-57, sparking strong play from UCSC down the stretch. The Slugs were able to hold off the Lutes, limiting Pacific Lutheran to just three more points while adding five of their own to secure the 68-60 victory.
