LOS ANGELES – Cal State L.A.'s women's basketball team had things going its way for a half.
The Golden Eagles, though, had a forgettable second half.
The Golden Eagles held a 37-36 halftime lead, but were then outscored, 42-19, in the second half and fell to California Baptist, 78-56, Saturday in the Eagles Nest. Cal State L.A. (1-6) lost its fourth straight game, while California Baptist improved to 5-3 overall.
Amber Whittington had 10 points and seven rebounds for the Golden Eagles, while
Jameiz Terrell had 10 points and three rebounds. Jeanine Deno had a game-high 23 points, eight rebounds and four assists for the Lancers, while Nicole Davis added 10 points.
Cal State L.A., after shooting 47 percent in the first half, made only 5-of-21 attempts in the second half and finished at 38 percent for the game. California Baptist shot 40 percent for the game and held a 42-34 rebounding edge. The Golden Eagles had 29 turnovers while the Lancers had 21.
The game changed dramatically in the second half. The Golden Eagles, after holding a 37-36 halftime advantage, scored the first four points of the second half on a basket by
Shatori Dearman and two free throws by
Shyneese Walter to take a 41-36 lead with 18:29 to go.
California Baptist, though, then went on a 23-0 run over the next nine minutes to take a 59-41 lead and effectively take control of the game. A pair of free throws by Dearman temporarily halted the Lancers' game-breaking surge, but the Golden Eagles went nearly three more minutes without scoring a basket until Whittington scored on a jumper to make it 65-45.
Cal State L.A. went more than 11-and-a-half minutes without making a basket.
The first half was much smoother for the Golden Eagles. After the Lancers scored the first five points of the game and eventually took a 12-6 lead, Cal State L.A. found its stride. A layup by
Cassie Suffolk and a 3-pointer by Walter tied the game at 16-16 and a 3-pointer by Terrell gave the Golden Eagles' a 19-16 lead.
After a 3-pointer by Deno gave the Lancers a 27-26 lead, the Golden Eagles agot a layup by Dearman, a 3-pointer by Terrell and a layup by
Sarita Stamps to take their biggest lead of the game, 33-27, with 4:13 left in the half. Cal Baptist surged to take a 34-33 lead, but back-to-back baskets by Whittington gave the Golden Eagles a 37-34 lead and they settled for a 37-36 edge at the break.
Cal State L.A. then scored the first four points of the second half before the bottom fell out.
The Golden Eagles will return to action next Friday when they face Northwest Nazarene in a game at Cal Poly Pomona at 7 p.m.
