ALEX FRANCO
STAFF WRITER

The CSUSM women’s basketball team exerted its power and will to stifle La Sierra in all facets of the game on senior night.

La Sierra’s offense never had the opportunity to get off the ground with the Cougars defense dominating for a fourth straight win Saturday night. CSUSM got off to a quick and strong start, gaining the lead with the first basket of the game, a lead they wouldn’t relinquish for the remainder of the game. After leading 28 – 21 in the first half, the second half is where the lady Cougar’s defense really came out to shine, holding La Sierra to just 14 points by the end of the second half.

The 35 point total from La Sierra was the lowest opponent score given up by the Cougars’ defense all season. The La Sierra Golden Eagles were held to just 16 percent shooting from the field, while CSUSM shot an outstanding 46.7 percent from the field.

Senior night recognized the lady Cougars’ lone senior, guard Justine Chacon before the game’s opening tip off. Justine added 11 points, along with three rebounds and two steals. The team’s leading scorer for the night was freshman guard Cassie Damyanovich, who scored 16 of the teams total points, making four 3-pointers.

The Cougars now improve to 15-13 on the season, and will look to finish their inaugural season on a high note after their final two games this week.

With wins this week, CSUSM will likely be entering next weekend’s A.I.I. Conference Championship Tournament as one of the hottest teams in the conference.

The team’s final games will be on the road against the 12 ranked Vanguard on Feb. 16, and Feb. 18 against Chapman University.