COSTA MESA, Calif. – The Cal State San Marcos women's basketball team dropped a 65-53 non-conference game at Vanguard Thursday night in Costa Mesa.
 
The Cougars fall to 4-8 overall while the Lions improve to 10-3.
 
Junior Ashley Ontiveros tallied five 3-pointers and went 2-of-2 at the free throw line for a team-high 17 points. Sophomore Savannah Camp added 12 points and three blocked shots.  Junior Jasmine Matar pulled down six rebounds.
 
The Cougars came out strong and held the lead until the 3:38 mark in the opening frame.  Vanguard pulled away to take a 38-20 advantage into the locker room at halftime.
 
CSUSM closed the gap to 49-41 in the fourth quarter with 8:09 remaining on a jumper by Ashley Jenkins, but the Lions answered with a 10-1 run to secure the victory.
 
Vanguard's Samantha Doucette led all scorers with 20 points and Melissa Norman chipped in 14 points.
 
The Cougars wrap up their non-conference schedule on Saturday, Jan. 16 when they host Westmont College at MiraCosta College. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m.