The Cal State San Bernardino womens basketball team was picked to finish fifth in the CCAA before the season started. So coach Kevin Becker is more than pleased with where his team stands at the halfway point.
The Coyotes (14-3, 8-2) closed out the first round of league play with a 63-53 win over Humboldt State on Saturday at Coussoulis Arena.
With the win, the Coyotes remain in a first-place tie with nationally ranked Chico State.
All three of the teams losses have been to ranked teams. The Coyotes were coming off a win Friday over No. 25 Sonoma State, which entered that game in first place in the conference.
The first West Region poll which determines the eight teams that advance to postseason play in March is due out next week.
We had an All-American kid (Vanessa Wilt) to build around and we brought in a lot of new kids, role players, and we have seen them develop a chemistry, Becker said. We have come together.
As usual, Wilt shouldered the load with 18 points, 20 rebounds two blocks and two steals. Junior point guard Shanae Blake also had stellar game with 17 points and Krystal Urzua added 11 points, seven assists, five rebounds and two steals.
Blake, who is coming off a red-shirt year, has come up big, especially in the last three weeks.
She has been the key for us, every bit as much as Vanessa but in a different way, Becker said. She didnt play last year so it took her few games to find her groove.
Both teams started slowly with the Coyotes shooting just 25.7 percent (9-for-35) and the Lumberjacks (9-8, 5-5) doing slightly better at 34.5 (10-for-29) as the first half ended with the teams tied at 21.
The Coyotes started pulling away in the opening minutes of the second half, building a nine-point lead on a 3-pointer by Rachel Johnson with 13:24 to go that made it 38-29.
Humboldt chalked up the next six points, four of those by Taylor Kilgore. Her driving layup with 12:32 left closed the gap to 38-35.
Humboldt was also within four points at 43-39 with 6:02 left.
But the Coyotes got some breathing room with a six point run that included a jumper by Urzua and two buckets by Wilt to go up 49-39.
Cal State maintained a double digit lead the rest of the game.
The Coyotes shot 51.9 percent in the second half to finish with a 37.1 for the game. Wilts domination on the boards helped them to a 45-38 rebounding advantage.
Humboldt State, which was coming off a win over Cal Poly Pomona on Friday, shot 41.4 percent for the game and was led by Katie Franci and Kayla Henry with 13 points each. Franci also had a team-high 12 rebounds.
The Coyotes head back on the road next week for games at San Francisco State on Friday and Monterey Bay on Saturday.
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