Williams scores 26 as CSUB women top Riverside
| Wednesday, Jan 06 2010 11:27 PM
Last Updated Wednesday, Jan 06 2010 11:28 PM
Senior guard Katie Williams had a game-high 26 points as the Cal State Bakersfield women's basketball team beat UC Riverside for the first time, 85-70 at Icardo Center on Wednesday night.
CSUB (8-8) opened a 14-point lead with 6:56 remaining in the second half and held on for the historic win.
"Riverside is one of the top teams in the Big West that we had not beaten, so tonight was a huge win for us and a big step in the right direction for our program," CSUB coach Tim La Kose said.
The Roadrunners were in a close battle for most of the first half before pulling away in the final minutes to build a 46-39 lead at halftime.
"This was a big step for us, and a big win for us tonight," added Williams who was 11-for-19 from the field, with six rebounds.
CSUB finished with 12 steals and pressured Riverside (3-10) into 22 turnovers.
"We were able to force a lot of turnovers and generate a lot of points from that, and I think that was the difference in tonight's game," La Kose said.
CSUB was 30-for-68 for 44.1 percent from the field, hitting 8-of-19 3-pointers.
"Last year we felt that our most crucial loss was to Riverside, especially coming towards the end of the year trying to get into the NIT," said senior guard Phynique Williams, who had 23 points, dished out six assists and pulled down four rebounds. "This was very personal and it felt good to get this win."
Tamiko Davis had a game-high 11 rebounds for CSUB.
