SRJC 56, Cosumnes River College 53
Two days after losing 50-86 at Folsom Lake College, the Bear Cubs (10-5, 1-2) were in Elk Grove to take on the Hawks (8-8, 1-3) of Cosumnes River College, who had only lost to the Falcons the previous Saturday by a score of 58-69. The Hawks won the tipoff and 19 seconds later Saray White drew a shooting foul. She made one free throw. Kaia Eubanks scored the first field goal of the contest on the Bear Cubs' first possession when she drove around a low post defender to bank in the shot. On their next turn on offense she banked in a 1-footer off of Sydney Martin's assist. The Bear Cubs tallied five more unanswered points on Shasta Vlasak's 3-pointer and Ivy Gonzalez's putback at the 6:32 mark for a 9-1 lead. Aliviyah Mc Murray scored the Hawks' first field goal 23 seconds later. Eubanks' 1-footer off of Lindsey Arellano's assist with 6:00 on the clock prompted the Cosumnes River coach to call a timeout. When play resumed the Hawks put together a 7-0 run to close the gap to 10-11 with 4:05 left. Nearly two minutes after that, Eubanks banked in another 1-footer, this time off of Cece Solano's assist. White drained her second 3-pointer with 50 seconds remaining, tying the score at 13-13. The Bear Cubs took the lead, 15-13, when Martin at the high post passed down the lane to Solano, who scored on a low post move five seconds before the end of the quarter.
Abby Tacla hit a 15-footer 95 seconds into the second quarter. The Hawks took a 20-17 lead on a 7-0 run before Ivy Gonzalez sank a 20-footer at the 4:30 mark. The Hawks added three more points on one free throw and a field goal with 35 seconds left for a 23-19 margin. With eight seconds on the clock, Kaia Eubanks banked in a 1-footer on a baseline inbounds pass from Lindsey Arellano to cut their halftime deficit to 21-23.
The Bear Cubs started the third quarter with the ball, and within 20 seconds the score was tied thanks to Kaia Eubanks' 6-footer. The Hawks put in two field goals before Kaia Eubanks' putback at the 6:50 mark. Sydney Martin's 2-footer off of Lindsey Arellano's assist and Ivy Gonzalez's 3-pointer got the Bear Cubs in front 30-27 with 5:40 on the clock. Saray White's 3-pointer 38 seconds later tied the score at 30-all. The Bear Cubs outscored the Hawks 7-4 during the remainder of the period on Martin's 15-footer, and five points by Gonzalez on a 16-footer, one Technical foul free throw, and her 15-footer to move them ahead 37-34.
The Hawks scored the first two field goals of the fourth quarter. Ivy Gonzalez hit a 12-footer, Charisse Echano swished a 3-pointer, Hailey Webb drew a shooting foul and made one free throw, and then the same happened to Saray White. LaKayla Hale's steal and layup was followed by White's basket for a 46-40 Hawk advantage at the 6:15 mark. The Bear Cubs got within two points on Gonzalez's putback and Cece Solano's 1-footer off of Sydney Martin's assist in less than a minute. After Echano's third 3-pointer of the contest, Solano dropped in a 10-footer and Gonzalez a putback, making the Hawks' lead 49-48 with 2:48 on the clock. Twenty-nine seconds later Shasta Vlasak caught Lindsey Arellano's 50-foot pass near the basket, pump-faked, watched the defender go by, and banked in the go-ahead basket. The Hawks responded with two baskets in the next 49 seconds to take a 53-50 lead with 1:30 remaining. Both teams missed two more shots before Martin was fouled on a shot attempt with 28 seconds left. She made both free throws. The Bear Cubs had to commit four quick fouls to reach their limit and have the Hawks shoot free throws. Hale went to the free throw line with 18 seconds on the clock, but she missed both free throws, leaving her team with a 53-52 margin. The Bear Cubs rebounded, called their final timeout and advanced the ball to their front court sideline. They tried to run a play, but the ball ended up going out of bounds last touched by one of the Hawks.
Before the Bear Cubs could inbound the ball, Sydney Martin was fouled. The Hawks were over the limit, so she went back to the line to shoot two. Once again Martin made both free throws, giving her team a 54-53 lead. The Hawks called their final timeout and advanced the ball to their front court sideline. The inbounded the ball, made a couple of passes, and then Gonzalez knocked the ball away to where Arellano corralled the loose ball and protected it until she was fouled with 3.5 seconds left. She made both free throws. The Hawks inbounded, and their final desperation shot from the backcourt fell short, as the Bear Cubs escaped with a 56-53 win, thanks in part to clutch free throw shooting with the game on the line.
The Bear Cubs committed 23 turnovers, so they were only able to attempt 56 shots of which they made 23 (41%), including 2 out of 14 (14%) from 3-point land. The Hawks made 21 out of 72 shots (29%), including 6 out of 33 (18%) from beyond the 3-point line. The difference came down to free throws. The Hawks made 5 out of 11 (45.5%), while the Bear Cubs sank 8 out of 10 (80%). Two Hawks reached double figures: Saray White with 15 and LaKayla Hale 12.
Two Bear Cubs scored in double figures: Ivy Gonzalez and Kaia Eubanks with 18 and 14 points, respectively. Sydney Martin added 8 points, Cece Solano 6, Shasta Vlasak 5, Lindsey Arellano and Abby Tacla 2 each, and Hailey Webb 1. Lindsey Arellano and Ivy Gonzalez each pulled down 7 rebounds. Lindsey Arellano passed for 6 assists and Sydney Martin 5.