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BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - The Cal State-Bakersfield women’s basketball team gave itself an early Christmas present Wednesday, December 21 by defeating two–time defending West Region champion and No. 14-ranked Seattle Pacific 77–70 in the final game of the CCAA/GNAC Challenge Tournament. The victory was the second in as many nights over ranked competition as the Roadrunners topped No. 7-rated Western Washington 75-56 December 20.
With the win, the Roadrunners also continue to be a thorn in the side of SPU. The Falcons entered the game with 93–6 record over the last three–plus seasons entering Wednesday’s game. They are now 93–7, with three of those losses coming at the hands of the Roadrunners.
Tournament MVP Katie McElree led four Roadrunners in double figures with 15 points. Freshman guard Kelley Tarver, also an all–tournament selection, added 11 points.
The key player for Bakersfield Wednesday night, however, may have been freshman guard Krista Arase. Arase scored 10 points, but it was her game–high eight assists, many drawing gasps from the finals crowd of 903, that helped the Roadrunners withstand SPU’s comeback effort.
Senior center Brittney Kroon earned all–tournament honors by becoming the first Bakersfield opponent to record a triple–double. She scored 10 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to get two thirds of the treble the conventional way. Kroon, who led the nation in blocked shots the past two seasons, finished the trifecta by setting a CSUB opponent record with 10 blocked shots.
The game lived up to its advance billing with the sides trading leads through a competitive first half. Rachel Strand’s late three–pointer lifted SPU into a 35–35 tie at the break.
In the battle of heavyweights, it was Bakersfield that landed the big blow to start round two. The Roadrunners opened the second half with a 19–4 run to seize control, 54–39. Although the punch staggered the defending champs, it wasn’t a knockout blow.
The Falcons clawed their way back, getting the deficit to a few as four points on three separate occasions. A Carli Grant jumper got SPU to within 70–66 with 1:11 to play. With the Falcons in desperation fouling mode, Bakersfield made six consecutive free throws in the waning moments to seal the game.
Bakersfield improves to 7–1 overall with the win. SPU falls to 6–3.
(Source Cal State-Bakersfield Sports Information) | 
