SRJC 65, Cosumnes River College 56
The Bear Cubs (7-11, 2-4) hosted the Hawks of Cosumnes River College (6-14, 0-6) in the final game of the first round of Big 8 Conference play. Trinity Hawkins got the Bear Cubs on the scoreboard first with a short bank shot 38 seconds in. The Hawks scored 8 points in a row on a field goal and two 3-pointers by Navaeh Galindo to take an 8-2 lead with 7:38 on the clock. The Bear Cubs answered with Kassi Agapoff's field goal, Lani Lincoln's 3-pointer, and Hawkins' fast break layup at the 5:44 mark to go up 9-8. The Hawks made the next field goal, and then Lincoln swished her second 3-pointer. Following a field goal by the Hawks, Lincoln stole a pass and drove three-quarters of the court to bank in the layup just past a defender. For the Bear Cubs' next shot attempt, Kierra Johnson drove across the key and put in the right-handed scoop shot with 58 seconds left. The Hawks added one free throw and Lincoln drained a deep 3-pointer with 7 seconds remaining for a 19-13 lead by the end of the quarter.
The Hawks opened the second quarter with Navaeh Galindo sinking her third 3-pointer. The Bear Cubs didn't score until Kassi Agapoff was fouled with 7:36 on the clock, and she made one free throw. The Hawks scored inside and then Lani Lincoln dropped in a 12-foot runner. Following a miss by the Hawks and one by the Bear Cubs, Kierra Johnson scored on a putback. The Hawks scored the next field goal in the game at the 4:58 mark, making their deficit 20-24. Trinity Hawkins sank a fast break layup 68 seconds, and the Hawks tallied their final two points of the period with 3:25 left. Lizbeth Zavala released a runner from 10 feet with 2:02 remaining to complete the scoring with the Bear Cubs in front 28-22 going into halftime.
Navaeh Galindo again hit a 3-pointer to start the scoring in the third quarter. Then Lani Lincoln also sank her fourth 3-pointer. Kierra Johnson made two free throws nearly a minute later, and the Hawks scored a field goal 54 seconds after that. Lincoln answered with another 3-pointer, and then the Hawks scored consecutive field goals to close to 31-36 with 6:17 on the clock. During the next 2:24 Kierra Johnson scored on a drive, Lincoln lobbed the pass over two defenders to a cutting Trinity Hawkins, who banked in the 1-footer, Kassi Agapoff swished a 3-pointer, Hawkins again scored on a cut to the hoop, and Agapoff was successful on both free throws, as the Bear Cubs jumped out to a 47-31 advantage. The Hawks hit two field goals before Lincoln's sixth 3-pointer with 2:14 left. Then the Hawks added a pair of free throws and a field goal before Lincoln's seventh 3-pointer dropped through with 22.4 seconds remaining. The Hawks scored on a drive three seconds before the buzzer sounded with them behind 41-52.
Once again the Hawks scored a 3-pointer to start the scoring in the fourth quarter, but it came after 1:45 of play. They put in a field goal 35 seconds later to close the gap to 46-52 before Kierra Johnson made one free throw with 7:36 on the clock. On their next possession, Johnson banked in a putback. Lani Lincoln dropped in a runner from 8 feet at the 5:55 mark. Twenty seconds later the Hawks made two free throws, and Kierra Johnson responded with a 3-point play for a 61-48 lead. The Hawks scored the next 7 points before Kierra Johnson passed to a cutting Marlana Sawyer, who caught the pass in stride and made the layup with 51.1 seconds left. The Hawks added one more free throw, and Trinity Hawkins scored on a sideline inbounds play with 11 seconds to go to complete the scoring in the Bear Cubs 65-56 win.
The Bear Cubs turned the ball over 21 times, but were helped by the Hawks committing 20. The Bear Cubs scored 25 points in the third quarter on 8 out of 15 shots (53%), including 5 from beyond the arc. Three Hawks scored in double figures, including Navaeh Galindo with 13 on four 3-pointers and one free throw.
Lani Lincoln led the Bear Cubs in scoring with her career-high 27 points. She also made a career-high 7 3-pointers, which ties her for second place in the Bear Cubs' history books, two behind assistant coach Jenna Dubar's record of 9. Kierra Johnson, who spent more time than usual on the bench due to foul trouble, still finished with 14 points and 7 rebounds. Trinity Hawkins also scored in double figures with 12 points, and she, too, pulled down 7 rebounds. Kassi Agapoff added 8 points, while Lizbeth Zavala and Marlana Sawyer each scored 2 points. Lizbeth Zavala was the leading rebounder with 9. Lani Lincoln passed for 5 assists and Trinity Hawkins for 4. Kierra Johnson blocked 5 shots.