By Inno Sita |Staff Writer|
The basketball team is giving teams a run for their money stepping up their game after a two-game losing streak.
The Coyotes suffered another closing game on Nov. 17 against the UC San Diego Tritons, losing to 70-65.
On the first half, senior Tayllor Gipson and sophomore Alexcia Mack both played guard and were unstoppable on the first half, catching as many rebounds and trying not to lose the ball.
Both juniors Briana Baker and Mack played guard and had an incredible three pointers during the night.
The Coyotes fired up the court when sophomore Jenna Klein shot three points with 2:25 minutes left on the clock along with an assist by Gipson, forcing the Tritons to take a 30 second timeout.
At the end of the first half with only 36 seconds left, Mack had no option but to shoot for a three pointer hoping for a lead, but fell short.
In the second half, the Coyotes stepped back on the court with more confidence and consistency.
The highlight player was Baker who had more steals, assists, rebounds and layups than any other player on the court.
Klein made six points with 1:56 on the clock, leading the Coyotes 62-58.
Later, sophomore Andriana Brodie added two point on the scoreboard after being fouled by Triton player Erin Dautremont.
Towards the end of the game, Triton player Dautremont made six points with only 31 seconds left leading the Tritons to a victory 65-70.
Gipson is currently majoring in criminal justice, has been playing for the Coyotes for two years and continues to be the star of the game.
“Our first game was very exciting, despite the loss we enjoyed every moment of it because we finally got the chance to observe our way of playing,” said Gipson.
The Coyotes faced most challenges on their defense, allowing the Tritons to gain the advantage against the Coyotes.
“Defense wasn’t bad at all but we just need to make sure that we finish out the whole shot clock, not playing hard defense and letting them rebounding was our main problem,” said Mack.
The Coyotes started their season with new head coach, Renee Jimenez, who previously coached of Cal State Monterey Bay for five consecutive seasons.
“Our coach is a great person on and off the court. Despite her toughness, if we’re not doing something right, she’ll let us know in a very proper way so that we can fix it,” said Mack.
Last year, CSUSB women’s basketball team had a great chance to win the NCAA Division I under former coach Kevin Becker, but fell short with a season record of 13-14.
Becker helped the Coyotes win titles for 17 years, including four appearances in the NCAA tournament.
This season, coach Jimenez acknowledges the legacy and chooses to follow in Becker’s footsteps and help the Coyotes win titles in the following years.
“Obviously these guys are new to me, we’re trying to take the time to really get to know their personality, who they are as people, and their interests. I think the big thing is, they will play hard for you if they know that you care about them. They’re my kids. I do care about them, their families and their lives,” said Jimenez.
The Coyotes will have more opportunities to improve their game during practices before stepping in the game to have more wins this season.
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