Box Score OCEANSIDE, Calif. – The Cal State San Marcos women's basketball team led by six late in the second half, but CSUSM could not find a bucket down the stretch in a 70-60 loss to San Diego Christian on Saturday night at MiraCosta College.
Cassie Damyanovich nailed her second 3-pointer of the half to hand CSUSM a 60-54 advantage with 4:53 remaining, but the Cougars went 0-of-7 from the field and SDCC held them without a point the rest of the way.
The loss drops CSUSM to 8-13 overall. SDCC improves to 9-4.
Kimberly Kipp led the Cougars with 16 points and eight rebounds on the night, finishing 8-of-9 from the field. She scored 12 of her points in the first half, registering six straight at one point that gave the Cougars a two-possession lead.
Her turnaround jumper on CSUSM's last possession of the frame gave CSUSM a 37-30 edge at the break.
Sherika Miller opened the second half by making a layup and drawing a foul. She sunk her free throw to give CSUSM a 40-30 lead.
SDCC immediately responded with a 7-0 spurt and eventually forced its first tie since the 4:46 mark of the first half, 42-42, with 13 minutes remaining.
The Cougars had an answer though, as Kipp finished strong at the rack off a pass from
Lindsay Uyematsu before
Nicole Lierly had her first bucket of the game on a runner from the right side.
MacKenzie Harnett capped CSUSM's 7-0 run with a basket and foul, draining the free shot to make it 49-42 at the 12:05 mark.
SDCC would battle back to tie it again, but CSUSM held the Hawks scoreless for a two-minute span and built a six-point, 57-51 lead with 6:09 left.
However, Damyanovich's 3-pointer that made it 60-54 in favor of the Cougars would be the final bucket CSUSM could muster.
Miller had 11 points and five rebounds, while
Alexandria Alvarado contributed eight points and five assists. Uyematsu matched Alvarado with five assists, as well.
Martinez scored a team-high 16 points for the Hawks, while Gabriele Concepcion and Chardonnay Shula had 11 and 10 points, respectively.
CSUSM held SDCC to 30.9% shooting and had 21 assists compared to the Hawks' nine.
CSUSM will face Point Loma Nazarene on Wednesday, Jan. 15 at 7:00 p.m.
The Cougars' next home game is on Thursday, Jan. 23 at 7:30 p.m. against Concordia (Calif.) at MiraCosta College.
