RIVERSIDE, Calif. – In the first exhibition of season, the Cal State San Marcos women's basketball team made a statement by taking NCAA Division I UC Riverside to the brink before falling 67-64 decision on Friday night SRC Arena
 
"I thought our kids played really hard for about 35 minutes," said head coach Renee Jimenez. "We fell asleep a little in the fourth and Riverside really took advantage of us. We did a great job fighting back and had a chance to win it but fell short. We have a lot to be proud of, but we also still have a lot of work to do."
 
Senior Savannah Camp led the Cougars with 15 points while collecting five rebounds. Junior Juliet Jones and sophomore Chloe Eackles each chipped in 13 points and five rebounds.
 
The Cougars ended the game on an 11-2 run, knocking down three treys in the final minutes to make it 66-64. After UCR's Jannon Otto split a pair of free throws, the Cougars were unable to get off a final shot before the buzzer.
 
Three Highlanders reached double-digits in scoring with Lauren Holt leading the way with 18 points while notching 10 rebounds. Michelle Curry and Malou De Kergret added 15 and 13 points, respectively. 
 
The Cougars open their regular season on Nov. 10 at the Cal Baptist Conference Challenge, facing the host at 11:30 a.m.