FIRESTONE FIELDHOUSE, DEC. 3 — The women’s basketball team improved to 6-3, capturing a victory against Cal State Northridge (CSUN), 68-64. Close games have become a commonality for the Waves.
They just came off of an 80-78 win over Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and a 59-56 overtime win over New Mexico.
Senior Jazmine Jackson led the Waves with 23 points, six steals and three rebounds. Jackson also scored the last four points to seal the win. Senior Lauren Bell added 16 points, five steals and five assists.
Aggressive, scrappy play characterized the bulk of the first half for both teams. The Matadors struggled early, missing layups and close shots.
Matador senior Jasmine Erving, however, managed to catch fire, scoring 17 points and grabbing five rebounds in the first half alone. Erving finished the game with a double-double — 27 points and 10 rebounds.
Her strong post-up moves weren’t enough to gain her team the lead, as Pepperdine had the edge at halftime, 30-26. But in the second half, the Matadors shifted the momentum to get ahead, 55-47.
Free throws and jumpers kept the Waves in the game. A turning point included Jackson’s steal, which led to fast break points. The play closed the gap to 59-58.
Jackson then scored four more points to help her team take the lead late in the half, 64-61.
As Northridge called a timeout with 25 seconds left on the clock, the Waves and the home crowd thought the game was over, yet freshman Jessica Duarte nailed her second three-pointer of the game to tie it up, 64-64.
At this point, Jackson’s heroics kicked in as she converted an easy lay up. Jackson then ran down to the opposite end of the court and sacrificed her body for a charge to regain possession for the Waves.
“I didn’t want our win streak to end,” Jackson said. “Coach drew up a game plan for me, and it just went in. I wanted to win.”
With two seconds left, Jackson was fouled before the inbound with the Waves in double bonus, giving her another opportunity at the free throw line.
She sunk both shots. Jackson finished off the game shooting 90% from the line. Overall the Waves converted 20 of their 23 free throws.
“We’ve been struggling with injuries, and it has given our reserves more playing time,” Jackson said. “Everyone’s stepping up.”