SRJC 58, Sierra College 69
The Bear Cubs (10-11, 6-6) traveled to Rocklin to take on the only team to beat Diablo Valley College this season, the Wolverines (17-7, 8-4) of Sierra College. Shanel Jamison, the Wolverines' leading scorer hit a 3-pointer after 88 seconds of play. Seventeen seconds later Maiya Flores tied the score with her own 3-pointer. The Wolverines sank two free throws, and then Shayla Newman also made two with 6:45 on the clock. The Wolverines banked in a 6-footer, and Maddie Strom tied the score at 7 with a fast break layup. The Wolverines tallied five points in a row on a 3-pointer and a field goal at the 5:24 mark. Over two minutes later Newman scored from the low post. Jamison put in a field goal and Britta Irvine a 3-pointer with 1:56 left. Following a Wolverines' putback 30 seconds later, Cammie Barsuglia drained a deep 3-pointer. The Wolverines responded with their own 3-pointer to end the scoring and give them a 19-15 lead.
Maiya Flores made the first field goal of the second quarter on a drive. The Wolverines quickly put in their own 2-pointer. Shayla Newman scored inside, and after a Wolverines' 3-pointer, Jasmine Henderson made one of two free throws with 7:46 on the clock. The Wolverines added the next four points before Newman's putback at the 4:14 mark made the deficit 22-30. Newman made one of two free throws, and Flores hit a 3-pointer with 1:25 left to get to 26-34. The Wolverines sank a field goal 33 seconds later, and Shayla Newman did the same with 28 seconds remaining. Jamison swished a 3-pointer eight seconds later to give her team a 39-28 lead going into halftime.
Shayla Newman got open near the basket to bank in the Bear Cubs' first shot of the third quarter. The Wolverines added their first two points on a pair of free throws at the 7:40 mark. Fifteen seconds later Jasmine Henderson swished a 3-pointer, and then Maiya Flores scored on a baseline inbounds play with 5:51 on the clock to cut their deficit to 35-41. The Wolverines drained a 3-pointer with 4:18 left, and Flores made two free throws 11 seconds after that. During the next three minutes the Bear Cubs made three out of four free throws, while the Wolverines did the same but also added two field goals to get to 53-40. With the clock winding down, the Bear Cubs worked for the last shot, and Cammie Barsuglia drove across the free throw line then toward the basket to sink the drive just before the buzzer sounded, leaving them in a 42-53 hole.
Shayla Newman started the scoring in the fourth quarter with an up-and-under move and a 4-footer the next time down to close the gap to 46-53 with 8:29 on the clock. The Wolverines sank two field goals in a row before Maiya Flores' scoring drive at the 5:24 mark. The Bear Cubs made their next two shots—Jasmine Henderson's drive and Maddie Strom's cut to the hoop with 4:15 left—to get to 52-59. The Wolverines tacked on the next four points on a field goal and two free throws before Jasmine Henderson's one of two free throws with 1:17 to go. The Wolverines hit a big 3-pointer 18 seconds later. The Bear Cubs called a timeout and advanced the ball to their front court. On the sidelines inbounds play, Shayla Newman used a back screen to get open cutting to the hoop, and Britta Irvine made the perfect 35-foot pass over the defenders to her for the uncontested layup. The Bear Cubs were forced to foul, and Jamison made both free throws for a 68-56 lead. The Bear Cubs missed their next shot and had to foul. The shooter made one of two. Maddie Strom swished a 14-footer with 19 seconds remaining, and the Wolverines dribbled out the clock on their hard-fought 69-58 win.
Both teams scored 30 points in the second half. The second quarter proved to be the difference, during which the Bear Cubs turned the ball over four times, missed eight shots in a row after making their first two, and allowed the Wolverines to pull down seven offensive rebounds and score six points on the second chance opportunities. The Wolverines finished the game with an 18-8 advantage in offensive boards. Three Wolverines scored in double figures with Jamison leading with 20 points.
Shayla Newman made 8 out of 12 shots and 5 out of 6 free throws to total 21 points. Maiya Flores sank two 3-pointers and finished with 14 points. Jasmine Henderson added 8 points, Maddie Strom 7, Cammie Barsuglia 5, and Britta Irvine 3. Maddie Strom registered season-highs in rebounds and blocks with 10 and 4, respectively. Britta Irvine pulled down 7 rebounds and passed for 5 assists.