SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The Cal State San Marcos women’s basketball team reached the 20-win plateau for the first time in school history while the Cougars collected their sixth consecutive win with a 74-55 California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) victory over Cal State Dominguez Hills on Saturday afternoon at The Sports Center.
TOP PERFORMERS
Akayla Hackson – 20 points | 4-of-6 3FG | 5 rebounds | 2 steals
Dynnah Buckner – 17 points | 2-of-2 3FG | 5 rebounds | 1 blocked shot
Kelsey Forrester – 11 points | 3-of-4 3FG | 4-of-5 FG
Emma Forel – 8 points | 6 rebounds | 1 assist
Stephanie Custodio – 5 rebounds | 5 assists | 4 points
HOW IT HAPPENED •The Cougars took a 7-6 lead over Cal State Dominguez Hills on a Forrester fast-break layup.
•After five lead changes and one tie in the first quarter, a Forrester 3-pointer put CSUSM up for good at 14-12 to close out the opening 10 minutes.
•The Cougars went on a 10-0 run to take a 19-12 lead over the Toros in the second quarter.
•The Cougars took a 31-27 lead over CSUDH into the halftime break.
•CSUSM kept the Toros scoreless from behind the 3-point line (0-of-8) while sinking 4-of-5.
•The Toros got within two points (34-32) on an Alzena Henry layup at 7:48 in the third quarter.
•CSUSM answered with a 9-2 run capped by a Stephanie Custodio short jumper at 5:12.
•After a Jon’Nae Vermillion bucket at 4:14 of the third quarter, the Cougars went up 45-34 and never allowed the Toros within single digits for the remainder of the game.
•Hackson notched two four-point plays (fouled on a made 3-pointer) in the third quarter.
•CSUSM took its largest lead of the game at 74-52 on a Buckner jumper with 1:42 remaining in the game.
FAST BREAKS •CSUSM improves to 20-4 (15-4 CCAA) while the Toros fall to 10-14 (7-11 CCAA).
•The Cougars remain in second place in the CCAA standings as the five other conference games are being played at 5:30 p.m. tonight.
•CSUSM outscored the Toros in every quarter, posting a dominating 25-11 performance in the third quarter.
•The Cougars matched their lowest turnover total of the season, finishing with eight.
•CSUSM shot higher than 50% for a program-record seventh time this season, going 28-of-55 (50.9%) from the field.
•The Cougars sunk 10 3-pointers for the second time this season, finishing at 62.5% (10-of-16).
•CSUSM led for 32:19 of the game while the Toros were on top for only 6:48 – all in the first quarter.
•The Toros played with only six players while CSUSM got 19 points from its bench.
•The Cougars have now won the last three meeting against the Toros and are 3-3 when playing on their home court.
Head Coach Renee Jimenez is excited about the trajectory of the program as the Cougars earned their 20th win of the season on Saturday. #BleedBlue #goCCAA #NCAAd2 pic.twitter.com/qdp2sSqaJF
– CSUSM Women’s Basketball (@CSUSM_WBB) February 15, 2020
Dynnah Buckner contributes the team’s strong trust and communication skills to lifting the Cougars to their sixth consecutive win. #BleedBlue #GoCCAA #NCAAd2 pic.twitter.com/0OojyU6rFq
– CSUSM Women’s Basketball (@CSUSM_WBB) February 15, 2020
UP NEXT
The Cougars make their final trip north of the regular season next week, traveling to Cal State Monterey Bay on Thursday for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off before stopping at Cal State East Bay for a 1 p.m. game on Saturday.
