BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – UC Riverside erased a 17-point deficit in the second half of Thursday’s Big West opener at CSU Bakersfield, but was unable to carry a win across the finish line in a 56-53 double overtime defeat inside the Icardo Center.
UCR overcame a sluggish start in the first half before kicking it up multiple notches with minutes to go until halftime. The Highlanders instilled a sense of urgency at the end of the opening 20 minutes, ending the first half on a 10-2 run to cut a largely double-digit deficit to under 10 at the intermission. UC Riverside owned a 23-20 advantage on the glass at halftime, including 6-2 in offensive rebounds.
UC Riverside pulled down a whopping 58 rebounds on Thursday for a new season high, with additional season highs in offensive (20) and defensive (38) boards. Despite the loss, UCR still collected its highest rebound total since 62 against Long Beach State in 2019-20. Thursday night was also the second time this season winning the rebounding battle, last doing so in November’s win over Long Island at the SRC Arena.
The Highlanders completely flipped the script out of the break, effectively turning a 17-point deficit to just one with a monstrous 20-4 run going back to the first half. Paris Atchley wiped out the double-digit deficit entirely on a layup at the four-minute mark of the third quarter, her only field goal of the night.
UC Riverside’s 42.9 third-quarter field goal clip was practically a statistical anomaly compared to the Highlanders’ first and second quarters, as UCR went into the…
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