RIVERSIDE — Pace and finesse have been staples of the California Baptist University women’s basketball program in recent years.

However, in Monday night’s season opener against UC Riverside, the Lancers also showed they can use a more physical approach in winning games.

Emma Johansson and Filipa Barros combined for 38 rebounds, while Johansson registered seven of the team’s 10 blocked shots, as the Lancers muscled their way to a 56-53 home victory in the first “Crosstown Showdown” between Riverside’s two Division I women’s basketball programs since 2021.

Johansson, a 6-foot-3 forward from Sweden, scored eight points and her 20 rebounds matched the program’s single-game Division I record shared by Dorcas Wu (vs. Western Kentucky, 2022) and Britney Thomas (vs. UCR in 2022). Barros, a 5-9

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