SAN MARCOS, CALIF.- Sonoma State Women's Basketball has officially secured their first postseason victory with a 78-71 victory over the Coyotes of Cal State San Bernardino! All-Conference guard Jayme Blackard led the way as the Seawolves defense and three point shooting proved too much for the Coyotes.
Sonoma State got off to a bit of a slower start falling behind in the first quarter 11-18. Still, the Seawolves stayed within striking distance and proceeded to outscore the Coyotes in each of the final three periods of play. Sonoma's defense was dialed in, limiting San Bernardino to a 37% shooting percentage from the floor and an even colder 29% from three. On top of holding their opponent to an off shooting night from the floor they were highly disruptive in passing lanes and harassed ball handlers all game long. San Bernardino would commit 17 turnovers with Jayme Blackard, Alysa Lopez, Ixchel Rojo and Meredith Gilbertson all swiping at least two steals.
Leading the way for the team was Blackard who poured in a game high 21 points while also pulling down five rebounds. Blackard has been on a tear recently with this being her second 20 plus point outing in her last three games. The Coyotes have struggled to guard the all-conference point guard as she has averaged 18.7 points per game against the Coyotes this year.
Fellow backcourt mate and all-conference recipient Alysa Lopez also made quite an impact on the game. While her 10 points may seem modest for the high scoring combo guard, Lopez did everything for her team on the court. She grabbed a team high six rebounds, handed out a season high seven assists and came up with two steals. When Lopez is creating for others she becomes one of the top offensive weapons in all of the CCAA be it as a scoring threat or playmaker.
Alongside these Ixchel Rojo came up huge for her team in a must win, elimination game. Rojo put together her best outing of the season with a season best 11 points on a near perfect 4-5 shooting display. She also added two steals and two assists to round out a clutch performance from the sophomore guard. Another guard also had a good outing among the second unit as Sienna Cherwinski shot a perfect 2-2 from the floor and 4-4 from the free throw line. Her nine points including a made three was just a piece of the top tier shooting from the Seawolves. As a team they knocked down 63% of their attempts from deep with the second unit going a perfect 4-4 from the three point line.
It was an outstanding win for the Seawolves who have survived and advanced. They will have little time to rest on their laurels with a showdown with the conference's number one seed, Cal State Dominguez Hills, on deck for tomorrow's matchup. The team looks to be peaking at the right time having one five of their last six games. Look to the Seawolves to keep the "March Magic" rolling as they look to secure the upset tomorrow in San Marcos!
