8-7 (2-0BWC)
UC Santa Barbara
5-9 (0-1BWC)
Records Fall in Mustangs, 88-70, Win over UC Santa Barbara
1/11/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
SANLUIS OBISPO, Calif. – Senior Molly Schlemer established a new career-high in points while fellow senior Jonae Ervin broke a school record that had stood since 1982 in the Mustangs, 88-70, win over UC Santa Barbara Saturday in front of 1,771 fans at Mott Athletics Center.
With the win the Mustangs improve to 2-0 in Big West Conference play and 8-7 overall while UCSB falls to 0-1 in Big West games and 5-9 overall. Cal Poly returns to the court on Thursday, Jan. 16 when the team travels to Cal State Northridge for a 7 pm game.
Schlemer scored a career-high 37 points in leading all players. The post player's points came when she connected on 16 of 20 shots from the floor and five of eight from the line. She also recorded her eighth double-double of the season when she corralled 15 rebounds, two shy of her career mark. Her 37 points surpasses her previous best set on Dec. 28 when she scored 29 points at UCLA.
Junior Ariana Elegado added 30 points, one shy of her career mark, when she made nine of 20 from the floor and five of 12 from long range.
Ervin entrenched her name in the Cal Poly record book at the 10:54 mark of the first half when she dished a ball off to Schlemer for a layup. For the point guard it marked her 391st career assist, breaking a Cal Poly record (390) that has stood since 1982 by Cal Poly great Laura Buehning (1979-82). Ervin finished the game with six points and five assists. Her career assist mark now stands at 394.
Junior Taryn Garza had another solid performance with six points and nine rebounds. She was three of four from the floor. All but seven points came from the Cal Poly starting five.
Cal Poly was 30 of 60 from the floor, shooting 50 percent or better from the floor for the second time this season. The Mustangs connected on six of 17 from long range and made 22 of 34 from the line.
UCSB shot 34 percent from the floor and made nine of 16 from the floor in the loss. The Gauchos were 13 of 18 from the line.
Cal Poly held a 46-39 advantage in rebounds and dished out six more assists (19-13).
UCSB scored the first points of the game, but it would be the only lead the Gauchos would hold the entire game. The Mustangs quickly opened up a nine point lead, 15-6, on a three by Elegado four minutes into the game. Cal Poly would hold its largest lead of the half, 11 points, when Schlemer converted a layup with 9:49 on the clock.
UCSB would battle back and pull within two, 25-23, on a jumper by Nicole Nesbit with 6:34 left in the period, but Cal Poly would respond with a 9-0 run to rebuild its 11 point lead capped by a three by Kristen Ale.
With less than a minute remaining in the half, UCSB cut the lead to two again, 41-39, but Cal Poly closed the half on a 5-0 run and a running three by Elegado at the buzzer for a 46-39 lead at the break.
Schlemer took over in the second half, scoring 20 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in the final period. Midway through the period the Mustangs built a 19 point lead and UCSB would never get closer than 13 points the rest of the game. The Mustangs held their largest lead of the game, 20 points, in the closing minute of play.
