WBB: Lancers Get Payback in Title Game Rematch
Kinsley Barrington had a career day and Chloe Webb stayed red hot to help CBU stay undefeated.
CEDAR CITY, Utah- Kinsley Barrington’s first two encounters against her old team last season didn’t go very well as Southern Utah swept the season series en route to its first-ever NCAA tournament berth.
On Tuesday night, Barrington and the California Baptist Lancers flipped that script.
Behind a career day from the former Thunderbird, who had 21 points and eight rebounds in 30 minutes of work, the Lancers remained unbeaten with a 79-66 win over the defending champs on their home floor.
Barrington was also three of five from 3-point range in the win.
Southern Utah got a career day from freshman Ava Uhrich who finished with 18 points and 14 rebounds in defeat.
Here are some takeaways from the WAC opener for both teams.
Newcomers Step Up:
Both teams have had newcomers step up in the early part of the year.
CBU’s Khloe Lemon had the second double digit game of her career with 10 points in 13 minutes on Tuesday while adding four rebounds.
Meanwhile, Southern Utah’s Ava Uhrich kept the Thunderbirds within striking distance with her big performance.
Both freshman made their mark in the opening 20 minutes of action. Uhrich had 11 of her 18 points in the first half. And Lemon had seven of her 10 points in the second quarter.
Webb’s Hot Start Continues:
A season ago, Chloe Webb showed the kind of damage she was capable of doing with four games of 20 or more points.
Six games into the 2023-24 season, Webb has eclipsed that number with her fifth consecutive game of 20 or more points in recording 23 points, 13 rebounds, five steals, and three assists in the win over Southern Utah on Tuesday night.
No Sophomore Slump from Schmidt:
Grace Schmidt finished her freshman year with four straight games in double digit scoring while earning Second Team All-WAC honors and the Postseason WBI MVP award.
It seems as if the season never stopped for Schmidt, who earned preseason First team All-WAC honors prior to the 2023-24 season tipping on.
In Tuesday’s win, Schmidt recorded 14 points and five rebounds. It’s the 10th straight game Schmidt has scored in double figures.
Take Care of the Ball:
CBU opened the season with two games of 20 or more turnovers in their first three contests.
They’ve flipped the script over their last three games and were under 20 twice, including a season low 13 on Tuesday.
and the bad…
Free Throw Shooting Woes:
It’s not often that a team leaves 14 points at the free throw line and wins.
That’s exactly what CBU had to overcome for a second straight night as the Lancers were 19 of 33 at the charity stripe following up a 12 of 22 mark against Portland a week ago.
3-Point Struggles Continue for Southern Utah:
Last year, the Southern Utah women’s basketball team shot just under 30% from 3-point range with Daylani Ballena and Sam Johnston combining to make 114 of 317 attempts (36%).
It’s been a totally different story in 2023-24 as the Thunderbirds are shooting just over 23% from beyond the arc.
Johnston has dropped from 34% to just under 20% so far while Ballena is right at 30%.
In Tuesday’s WAC opener, the T-Birds were 8-28 from distance. Johnston and Ballena were a combined 3-15 from 3-point range.
Southern Utah will host Seattle U on Saturday while CBU has to wait a week before traveling back to the Beehive State to take on Utah Tech in St. George on Dec. 6.