PASADENA, Calif. - The Cal Lutheran women's basketball team won their sixth straight game and fourth straight in Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) competition with a 79-50 victory over Caltech on Wednesday night.
The Regals dominated the game from start to finish due in large part to their advantage in the rebounding department. CLU outrebounded the Beavers 58-26, including 27 on the offensive glass, which translated to 25 second-chance points in the game.
On offense, Cal Lutheran was able to get easy buckets in the paint outscoring Caltech 34-20 around the basket and 22-8 on fastbreak points.
CLU seized control at the very outset bursting out to a 12-0 lead in the early minutes of the game. The Regals forced multiple turnovers from Caltech behind a tenacious full court press and got key contributions from Chelsea Jacoby and Jessica Salottolo early on.
Salottolo had eight of the Regals first 14 points and Jacoby picked up three steals in the first three minutes to set the tone for the remainder of the game.
After taking a 28-15 lead, the Violet and Gold returned to half court defense where they continued to force turnovers and convert them into points on the offensive end of the court. Right before the half, Trianna Owen converted back-to-back layups to take a 44-22 lead.
A three-pointer right before time expired for the Beavers made the score 44-25 entering halftime.
In the second half, the Regals continued to control the tempo and pace of the game behind a career-high 12 assists from Natalie Stone. The senior guard had five in the second half despite playing just nine minutes. The Regals would outscore Caltech 35-25 in the final stanza on their way to securing the victory.
Jacoby led CLU with 20 points on an efficient shooting night going 9-for-12 from the field and added eight rebounds and four steals. Owen led the team with five steals and scored 11 points to reach double-figures for the second time this year. Salottolo finished with 15 points and Sofia Cruz nearly had a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds. Katy Lindor led the team with 12 rebounds including six which came on the offensive glass.
Caltech (0-15, 0-6 SCIAC) was led by forward Kate Lewis who had 20 points and nine rebounds, while Stephanie Wong added 18 points after going 3-for-7 from behind the arc.
Cal Lutheran (9-4, 4-0 SCIAC) returns to Gilbert Arena this Saturday, Jan. 17 to take on Occidental at 2:00 p.m.
Box Score: CLU 79, CIT 50
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