The Tigers improved to 12-8 overall and 7-3 against Division III opponents. The Banana Slugs slipped to 7-17.
Freshman guard Melanie August posted her fifth double-double of the year with 17 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. She also dished out seven assists and had a pair of steals. Junior guard Megan McCallister and sophomore forward Paige Whitney added 10 points apiece.
The Tigers used a 27-5 run early in the second half to erase a five-point deficit and take a commanding 58-41 lead with 7:42 remaining. The Banana slugs cut the lead to 10 points with 1:49 to play, but were never able to cut CC’s lead to single digits.
Freshman guard Kayleigh Calandri led UCSC with a game-high 21 points, while junior forward Megan Gaynor added 13 points and a team-high eight rebound.
The Colorado College challenge will continue on Saturday when UC Santa Cruz takes on the University of Dallas at 1 p.m. The Tigers will be back in action on Sunday when they play host to UD in the classic finale at 1 p.m.