Barnes connects to lead UCI to win over Matadors

IRVINE — Sophomore center Kim Barnes hit a turnaround three-footer with 1.5 seconds remaining to lift the UC Irvine women’s basketball team to a 48-46 victory over Cal Sate Northridge at the Bren Events Center Saturday.

Barnes’ big shot helped the Anteaters to their first Big West Conference win of the season and snapped a 13-game losing streak.

Barnes led UCI (4-15, 1-5 in conference) with a season-high 11 points, hitting five of 10 from the field. She scored 10 of her points in the second half and recorded two blocks for the game.

Senior forward Kelly Cochran sparked UCI off the bench with 10 points, shooting four for five from the floor, while adding four rebounds in the win. Junior Keyonna Johnson ended the game with nine points, four rebounds and a team-high six assists. Sophomore Ka’Jahna Johnson tied a career-high with her seven first half points and grabbed five rebounds. Junior Jovana Petrovic recorded a team-high eight rebounds. Junior guard Rebecca Maessen, who was saddled with foul trouble, scored seven points, while senior guard Kirian Ishizaki pitched in four points and four rebounds.

Ashley Blake led all players with 19 points, going five for seven from three-point range for Northridge (5-14, 2-4). Katrina Thompson recorded a double-double with 15 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

UCI outrebounded the Matadors, 42-36, but CSUN shot slightly better from the field (18 for 49) for 36.7%. UCI was 20 for 56 for 35.7%.

Cal State Northridge called timeout and set up a three-pointer which was banked in by Blake to tie the score at 46-46 with 15 seconds left. UCI took a timeout and fed Barnes the ball for the game-winner with 1.5 on the clock. A Northridge pass was intercepted by Cochran as the buzzer sounded.

UCI begins a four-game road trip Thursday at UC Riverside at 5:30 p.m.

— From staff reports