The CSU Bakersfield women’s basketball team took on the University of North Texas basketball program on Tuesday, Nov. 26. It was the first of two games held in the Icardo Center that night, as the men’s basketball team played immediately after for a double-header. 

  The women are undefeated at home and are looking to protect the home court with another victory against a tough Division I opponent.   

  The ‘Runners got off to a great start by taking a 7-0 lead. Senior point guard Dalis Jones had a three-point shot and a steal to propel the team to a 13-9 lead at the end of the first quarter. 

  North Texas did not plan on giving up so easily, though. A two-point lead quickly turned into a six-point deficit as the ‘Runners allowed eight unanswered points. They would eventually regain the lead behind a pair of clutch three-point shots from sophomore point guard Ashley Austin. The score at halftime was 25-23 in favor of CSUB. 

  After halftime, the ‘Runners forced North Texas to use a timeout one minute into the half by scoring four unanswered points. Later in the quarter, redshirt sophomore guard Jasmin Dixon had arguably the best two plays of the game. She scored on a three-point shot, then stole the ball on the ensuing possession, driving down to get an extra two points. Those five unanswered points put the ‘Runners up 36-29 in the third quarter. 

 They started the fourth quarter leading by 15 points and the team did not look back after that. They would go on to win by a decisive margin of 61-52. The women dominated this game, as most of the last points for North Texas came after the game had long been decided. 

  After the game, some of the players gave their reaction to the winning contest. 

  Redshirt sophomore forward Jayden Eggleston felt that this was a good win for the team. “We came off a tough loss, so it’s good to come back in here and protect our home court. It sets the tone and gets us ready for (the rest) of our home games here,” Eggleston said. 

  “I knew that we needed energy to get us going because we started off the game kind of slow. We started working as a team and getting everybody involved,” Dixon said, reflecting on the big play she made in the third quarter. 

   Junior center Vanessa Austin had a ten-point performance on the night. She said that they had the mismatch on the inside. “At halftime when we came in, coach talked about if were going to win this game it’s going to be with the bigs. It was important for me to catch the ball and finish every chance I got,” Austin said. 

  With this win, the ‘Runners protect their undefeated home record this season. To be a part of the action, the next game is on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 1:00 p.m. in the Icardo Center as the ‘Runners take on University of the Pacific.