SRJC 71, Sacramento City College 32
On a stormy Friday night the Bear Cubs (9-4, 1-0) hosted the Panthers (8-5, 0-1) of Sacramento City College. Melanie Mar took the Panthers' first shot of the contest and banked in the 12-footer. The Bear Cubs missed their first two shot attempts before Meredith Gilbertson banked in a 1-footer on a baseline inbounds pass from Hannah Webb. She was fouled on the play and her and-one free throw gave the Bear Cubs the lead for good. The Bear Cubs then scored 15 more unanswered points—Reese Searcy's steal and layup, her two free throws, Lucca Lowenberg's 3-pointer, Gilbertson 1-footer on a baseline cut and assist from Lindsey Arellano, Praise Nigimar's 2-footer off of Arellano's assist, Maycee Hunter's putback, and Nigimar's 4-footer at the 2:23 mark. Two free throws by Aliviyah McMurray were followed by Maya Salas' 3-pointer with 1:45 on the clock, making the Bear Cubs' lead 21-4. The Panthers scored the last four points of the quarter on McMurray's field goal and Kyleah Carter's 15-footer at the buzzer to cut the Bear Cubs' lead to 21-8.
Reese Searcy got the scoring started in the second quarter with another steal and layup. The Bear Cubs made five more shots in the period—JJ Martinez's 1-footer off of Lucca Lowenberg's assist, Lowenberg's steal and layup, Hannah Webb's layup as the trailer on a fast break with assist from Meredith Gilbertson, and one 3-pointer each by Webb and Maya Salas. The Panthers missed all 12 of their shots and only added two points on a pair of free throws by Melanie Mar. By halftime the Bear Cubs were ahead 35-10.
Ivy Gonzalez scored the first two points of the third quarter on two free throws, which were followed by Lucca Lowenberg's fast break layup. Kyleah Carter's basket at the 8:48 mark broke the ice for the Panthers. The Bear Cubs went on a 13-0 run comprised of Hannah Webb's 3-pointer, Lowenberg's layup and 3-pointer, Meredith Gilbertson's 3-point play, and Maya Salas' 1-footer on a baseline inbounds pass from Lindsey Arellano, for a 52-12 lead with 4:30 on the clock. During the remainder of the period, the Panthers added 8 points on a field goal and two free throws by Carter, a field goal by Aliviyah McMurray, and two free throws by Eryn Johnson. The Bear Cubs finished with Arellano's layup and 8-footer, and Maycee Hunter's drive from the high post for a 58-20 advantage.
The Bear Cubs scored the first six points of the fourth quarter on back-to-back 3-pointers by Lucca Lowenberg and Reese Searcy. Ayanna Gilbert sank a field goal at the 8:20 mark. Ten seconds later Cece Solano dropped in a baseline 15-footer, which was followed by Lowenberg's fourth 3-pointer. The Panthers tallied the next three points on one free throw by Aliviyah McMurray and Melanie Mar's drive with 4:50 on the clock. Fourteen seconds after that Maycee Hunter scored the Bear Cubs' final two points on a 14-footer. The Panthers finished up with a 7-0 run on a 3-pointer and field goal by Mia Conley and a field goal by Mar to make the Bear Cubs' winning margin 71-32.
The Bear Cubs' defense prevented the Panthers from settling into a rhythm on offense, as they made only 11 out of 50 shots (22%). All 12 Bear Cubs played significant minutes and contributed offensively and defensively. They made 28 out of 63 shots (44%) and totaled 18 assists and 13 steals. Aliviyah McMurray, the Panthers' leading scorer who came into the game averaging 13.5 ppg, was held to 7 points.
Lucca Lowenberg led the Bear Cubs with 18 points and 4 steals. Reese Searcy added 9 points; Meredith Gilbertson, Maya Salas and Hannah Webb 8 each; Maycee Hunter 6; and Lindsey Arellano and Praise Nigimar 4 each. JJ Martinez, Ivy Gonzalez, and Cece Solano each scored 2 points. Meredith Gilbertson grabbed a season-high 12 rebounds and Ivy Gonzalez pulled down 7. Meredith Gilbertson and Lindsey Arellano each passed for 4 assists. Reese Searcy made 3 steals.