OCEANSIDE, Calif. – The Cal State San Marcos women's basketball team gave No. 14 Concordia (Calif.) all it could handle, but the Eagles took better care of the ball, allowing them to hold on to a 90-75 win Wednesday night at MiraCosta College.
 
CSUSM outrebounded Concordia 35-32 and made 30-of-42 at the free throw line. But the Cougars had trouble holding on to the ball, tallying 20 turnovers to Concordia's five.
 
Four Cougars reached double-digits with junior Brianna Higgins leading the way with 19 points. She made 9-of-10 at the charity stripe.  Senior Heather Thompson tallied 15 points and eight rebounds. Senior Cassie Damyanovich and freshman Crystal Hicks added 13 points each. Senior Alex Alvarado collected a career-high 10 rebounds.
 
An old-fashioned 3-point play by Higgins closed the gap to 66-58 with just under eight minutes left on the clock.  Damyanovich sunk a pair of free throws after a technical was given to the Concordia bench, cutting the Eagles' lead to 66-60 with 7:25 remaining.
 
A 7-0 run in less than a minute put the game out of reach, as the Cougars weren't able come within single digits again.
 
The Cougars (1-10) are back in action on Saturday, taking on San Diego Christian at Grossmount College. Tip-off is 2 p.m.