ARCATA, Calif. ­– An 18-point performance and gutsy effort from Ashlynn Cox helped Humboldt State women's basketball snap its three-game slide and top Cal State Dominguez Hills, 70-57, Saturday night in Lumberjack Arena.
 
"I thought we started off the game well with our intensity, in particular on the defensive end, and I thought we sustained that pretty well," said Head Coach Michelle Bento-Jackson. "We had a four or five minute spurt in the third quarter where we didn't do so well, but fortunately we had a cushion going into halftime."
 
The Green and Gold jumped out to an early 5-0 lead and led for all of the first half, despite shooting 29.4 percent from the field. Lynnzy Troxell led the Jacks with nine points off the bench, and she scored all of her points in the second quarter.
 
Dominguez Hills came out of the locker room with renewed intensity, and the lead changed hands four times in the third quarter. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Cox and Tyra Turner in the final two minutes helped HSU cling to a 46-45 advantage heading into the final 10 minutes of play.
 
An injury to starter Riann Thayer in the first minute of the fourth quarter could have spelled trouble for the Jacks, but Turner and Cox continued to dominate the opposition. The pair scored eight points apiece, and HSU led by as many as 15 points in the final period.
 
"At the beginning of the third quarter they were getting high-percentage looks, and we just needed to regroup," said Bento-Jackson. "We had the lull there, but on the positive side of things we made some adjustments, and we went into our 2-3 zone defense. We did a really good job of controlling the defensive boards down the stretch."
 
Turner was the game's top scorer and finished with 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting. She went 7-for-7 at the free-throw line and dished out a team-high five assists. Cox added 18 points, including four 3-pointers and a game-high four steals, and Troxell finished with 11 off the bench.
 
"I am really proud of Ashlynn and the way she stepped up tonight," said Bento-Jackson. "She was a big offensive threat for us, and also for what's not on the stat sheet, but how many times she was on the ground battling for a loose ball. I am really proud of her growth and maturity."
 
HSU's bench and the team's ability to capitalize on Dominguez Hills' miscues proved to be the difference maker. The Jacks' bench outscored the Toros' 22-10, and the home team scored 31 points off 21 Dominguez Hills turnovers.
 
"When you look at the standings we are right there, and every game is so big right now," said Bento-Jackson. "I was proud of the girls for responding from the other night against Cal State LA where we didn't feel like we gave a good defensive effort. The girls were really focused on coming out and executing the defensive scout, and I am really proud of them doing that."
 
The Green and Gold host Cal Poly Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 5:30 p.m. Fans are invited to wear pink in support of breast cancer awareness, and the game will also be Family Fun Night.