Box Score OCEANSIDE, Calif. – Cassie Damyanovich registered a career-high 26 points and the Cal State San Marcos women's basketball team won its third game in a row with a 74-66 victory over Ashford (Iowa) Friday night at MiraCosta College.
Damyanovich went 9-of-14 from the field and hit a critical 3-pointer late in the second half as the Cougars improved to 6-9 overall on the year.
“I'm very, very proud of our team's effort. We had one of the best practices of the year yesterday. We challenged, we were super competitive, and it spilled onto the court tonight,” said CSUSM head coach Sheri Jennum. “It was just a really solid team win. This is another game where our shooters stepped in and nailed big shots for us.”
CSUSM expanded an eight-point halftime lead to as many as 18 in the second frame, but saw its lead dwindle to 10 with 7:46 remaining. Out of a timeout, Damyanovich hit a jumper from the elbow before draining her third 3-pointer to push the Cougars back up by 15, 62-47, less than a minute later.
The Saints fought back with a 10-4 run to make it a five-point game at the 3:46 mark. However,
Mechel'la Logan made a pair of free throws before Damyanovich picked the pocket of Madison Wagner. Damyanovich capped off the play with a jumper from the baseline to put the game out of reach at 70-61 with 1:48 left.
Danielle Cooper tallied 14 points and a team-high eight boards. She and Logan filled the lane for the Cougars throughout the night, each registering four steals. Cooper and Logan also blocked four and three shots, respectively.
Gaby Ayon went 6-of-8 from the field for the Saints, finishing with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Quinn Rear added 15 points.
“I just talk to them about getting better every day and every game. I feel like we've been doing that for the last few games and it's made me really happy,” said Jennum. “Hopefully everything is starting to come together for us and we're going to continue this run.”
The Cougars host three games next week, starting on Monday against Clarke (Iowa) at 7:30 p.m. The following day, CSUSM faces Concordia (Calif.) at 3:00 p.m. before a Friday tilt against Roosevelt (Ill.) at 7:30 p.m.
