November 22, 2023
WU Controls the First Half But Falls to SDSU
By Francisco Claudio
The Westcliff women's basketball team (1-3) played against San Diego State last night and were able to give them a run for their money during the first half in an eventual loss, 64-42.
Warriors played well in the first quarter and responded well to any adjustments that SDSU attempted.
Jalen Long started the game strong and hit a couple of timely jumpers including two three-pointers to put the Warriors up 14-12 with three minutes left in the quarter.
The first quarter ended and both teams were even 14-14.
Valisa Millhouse gave Westcliff the lead with an early bucket in the second quarter, which would also be her only basket made in the game.
The Warriors came out strong in the second quarter and were able to control the game as they took a five-point lead with five minutes left.
Everyone was scoring the ball.
Eva Taylor and Jalen Long made some threes after some crafty moves and the team's confidence continued to rise.
Katie Ngyuen and Janelle Ramos contributed as well with some jumpers from mid-range.
The Warriors were outplaying SDSU and the home team seemed surprised by what the Warriors were bringing to the table.
The second quarter ended as Westcliff was able to keep a small lead of 30-27.
But then the Warriors' shooting woes began and would take part for most of the third and fourth quarter.
Westcliff struggled in the third quarter and only scored six points on 23% shooting from the field.
The fourth quarter was much like the third as the Warriors scored six points again, shooting 14% from the field.
It was a tale of two halves for the visiting team as the Warriors were the better team at first and then couldn't find a way to score towards the end.
Long and Taylor continue to shoot well from the three-point line this season as both players scored a couple of threes.
Taylor scored 13 points and went 3-8 from beyond the arc.
Long scored 11 points and went 3-7 from the three-point line.
Nguyen flirted with a double-double as she scored seven points and grabbed nine rebounds.
Up next, the Warriors will get a couple of days off for the holidays before they shift their focus toward conference opponents.
The conference schedule is about to begin and the first opponent for Westcliff will be Cal Maritime on Thursday, November 30th, at 5:30 PM.