CHICAGO – The second matchup between Chicago State and CSU Bakersfield was equally as entertaining as the game in Bakersfield but the visiting Roadrunners came out with the 58-51 victory over Chicago State on Thursday night.
Tyeshia Bowers (Flint, Mich./Southwestern) knocked down a game-high 28 points in the loss while teammate
Ines Mata Boix (Madrid, Spain/) grabbed a game-high 10 boards.
The game was a battle from the outset with the teams seemingly playing chess throughout the first quarter. Mata Boix was a spark early going 4-of-4 from the floor in the first 10 minutes. The Cougars shot 54.5 percent from the floor as a team.
The Roadrunners used a 11-3 run over a span of seven minutes to jump out to a 25-17 lead with 2:23 left in the first half before a triple from Bowers coupled with a pair of free throws from
Alexandria Cliff (Manitowoc, Wis./Roncalli) made it a two possession game. Bowers drilled a long two-pointer just before the break to keep the Cougars within striking distance.
CSU Bakersfield took its latest lead of the game - 10 points - at the 5:57 mark of the third quarter but
Bethany Carstens (Kenai, Alaska/Nikiski) nailed a pair and hit a jumper to cut the lead back down to six points midway through the quarter.
With the Roadrunners leading, 46-36. At the 7:55 mark of the fourth quarter, Bowers scored five consecutive points and a cutback from
Aja Phoumiphat (Las Vega, Nev./Centennial) made it a three-point game midway through. Phoumiphat came up big in the final two minutes with a steal and a layup to make it a two-point game 50-48 but that was a close as the Cougars would get the rest of the way as the two teams split the regular-season series.
Up Next
The Cougars will stay at home and take on Grand Canyon University on Saturday at 2 pm.
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