The Dixie State University women’s basketball team had its only winning streak of the season end Saturday by the sixth ranked team in the nation, California Baptist University.
After hitting its best stride all season, DSU fought valiantly until the final buzzer but were no match for the undefeated Lancers, losing 85-68. The Trailblazers were not able to notch a third consecutive home victory, but the coaches said they were pleased with the fight they saw in the team.
“The girls could have given up,” assistant coach Nicole Yazzie said. “We competed hard, we out-rebounded them, and [we] felt good about how [the team] finished.”
DSU was down 12-4 within the first couple of minutes. The Trailblazers locked up on defense and rode a 10-2 run to tie the game 14-14 late in the first quarter.
The Pacific West Conference leading-Lancers countered with a 9-0 run early in the second quarter. Junior guard Matti Ventling hit a triple to momentarily stop the bleeding, but CBU outscored the Trailblazers 21-11 throughout the quarter to take a 40-25 halftime lead.
After cutting the lead to 12 points thanks to a couple of buckets from redshirt sophomore guard Tramina Jordan, the remainder of third quarter was brutal for the Trailblazers. The deficit ballooned to 25 heading into the final quarter.
Unwilling to surrender, the Trailblazers outscored the Lancers 26-18 in the fourth, including a 17-6 run to close the game.
“[CBU’s] pressure made us struggle a bit, especially in the third quarter,” said freshman guard Ali Franks, an exercise science major from Redding, California. “We hung in there though and outplayed them in the final quarter.”
Four Trailblazers were in double figures, led by Jordan with 18. Junior forward Lisa VanCampen had the team’s lone double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
“We really came together at the end of the game,” said VanCampen, a biology major from Morgan. “We fought together and did some good things. Hopefully next year we can beat [CBU].”
At 4-12 in PacWest play, DSU heads to Hawaii to take on University of Hawaii-Hilo at 8 p.m. (MT).
