Nov. 18, 2014 Box Score
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The University of San Diego women's basketball team (2-0) overcame a barrage of late Cal State Fullerton 3-pointers, to hold on for a 60-54 win over the Titans Tuesday evening in a non-conference game at the Jenny Craig Pavilion.
With the Toreros seemingly in control of the game up 13 with just 3:19 to go, the Titans (0-2) outside game came alive, as a Chante Miles 3-pointer with 2:55 to go cut the lead down to 10. CSF then went on to hit their next four 3-pointers, over the next two minutes, to pull back to within four at 58-54 with just 33 seconds left. However, a Cori Woodward free throw and a Katherine Hamilton free throw sealed the win for the Toreros.
Hamilton led the Torero scoring effort, as she scored a career-high 18 points on 5-of-18 shooting from the field, and she went 8-for-9 from the charity stripe. Maya Hood was the second of three Toreros in double figures, as she recorded 17 points on 5-of-16 shooting form the field, and Sophia Ederaine had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. As a team, USD shot 26.3% from the field, and out rebounded the Titans 55-38.
The game began very slowly, as through the first seven minutes of action, USD shot 1-for-15 from the field, and Fullerton was not much better, yet a pair of Hailey King free throws gave the Titans a 8-3 lead with 12:22 to go in the first frame.
A pair of Hamilton free throws then sparked a short 8-1 USD run over the course of three minutes to give the Toreros back the lead at 11-10 with just 7:50 to go. It wasn't until the clock hit the 1:43 mark that things began to flow offensively for the Toreros. With USD up 17-12, a Ederaine lay-up sparked a 7-4 USD run to close out the half, and give the Toreros a 24-16 lead heading into the break.
In the second half it was more up-tempo then the first frame, as USD turned up the defensive pressure, and caused a few early turnovers, to help build back up a double-digit lead at 30-18 with 19:12 to go.
From this point on, USD would accordion back and forth between a 12-16 point lead all the way up to the 3:19 mark, setting up the late Fullerton push that fell short in the end.
For the Titans, Amanda Tivenius led the ay with a team-best 16 points on 6-of-18 shooting from the field, and the only other Titan player in double figures was Deja Smith, who had 13 points. As a team, Fullerton shot 40% from the field.
The Toreros will return to action on Saturday, as they make their first road trip of the season up to Moscow, Idaho to take on the Vandals of the University of Idaho. This game is set to tip off at 2 p.m.
