Box Score

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — It was a tough night on the road for the Crusaders against the No. 3-ranked team in the nation.

The Northwest Nazarene women's basketball team played strong early on, but a late surge just before halftime help Cal Baptist — last season's NCAA Division II runner-up national champion — take control and roll to an 89-69 nonconference win on Thursday night.

After an Ellie Logan bucket gave NNU (1-2 overall) a slim 36-35 advantage with just under 4 minutes until halftime, the Lancers (3-0) made their charge, a 10-0 run into halftime.

That surge continued in the second half as the lead grew to 55-39 with 2 1/2 minutes gone in the third quarter.

NNU battled to close the gap, clawing to 58-49 down on a McKenna Walker free throw midway through the third quarter, but a 3-pointer by Cal Baptist's Cassidy Mihalko pushed the lead back to double digits where it stayed for the rest of the night.

Lexi Tubbs led the way for the Crusaders with 19 points, while CoCo Gall added 10 points and eight rebounds for NNU, which next plays at Point Loma on Saturday.