SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - The California State University San Bernardino women's basketball team saw its 2023-24 campaign come to a close on Thursday afternoon with a 78-64 loss to Cal State Los Angeles in the quarterfinals of the CCAA Tournament at Coussoulis Arena.
With the defeat, CSUSB wraps up its season with an overall record of 14-14 for the second consecutive season.
The teams played a high-scoring opening 10 minutes, with the Golden Eagles outpacing Cal State San Bernardino by a margin of 24-17. Junior
Samantha Henley (Ventura, Calif.) was the leading Coyote scorer in the first quarter, knocking down a pair of threes to record six points.
Cal State San Bernardino chipped away at the lead in the second quarter, outpacing the Golden Eagles 15-13 to head to the locker room down by just five points. Coming off the bench, junior forward
Olivia Lee (Peoria, Ariz.) led the Coyotes with seven points in the quarter.
CSUSB kept up with the Golden Eagles in the third as the teams each scored 20 points to head to the fourth at 57-52. Six different Coyotes had points in the quarter, highlighted by a buzzer-beating Henley three-pointer to close out the quarter.
The Yotes got to within two points at 59-57 on a Lee layup with 6:12 remaining in the contest, but the Golden Eagles responded with a 7-0 run over the next two and a half minutes and never looked back, clinching its spot in the CCAA Semifinals tomorrow afternoon.
Three Coyotes finished in double figures in the defeat, led by senior
Destiny Jackson (Hayward, Calif.), who posted 12 points and seven boards. Junior
Jaida Jackson (Moreno Valley, Calif.) and freshman
Jaushlynn Ruffin (Lynwood, Calif.) each finished with 11 in their season finale.
Cal State LA will advance to face the top-seed Cal State San Marcos tomorrow afternoon at Coussoulis Arena. Tip-off is slated for 2:30 p.m.
#GoYotes
