The Santa Rosa Junior College women’s basketball team showcased their court prowess in a 55-47 neck and neck win against College of San Mateo, never losing their lead, at home on Friday.
The Bear Cubs (6-2) played relentless defense and featured a versatile offense against the persistent Bulldogs (5-6), who came within four points of SRJC and nearly pulled off a fourth quarter comeback.
SRJC took the first quarter by force, finishing with a 16-7 lead while holding the Bulldogs scoreless for most of the quarter. Both teams struggled with turnovers.
Both teams continued to struggle on offense while playing strong defense in the second quarter, with constant turnovers. The Bear Cubs led 25-13 going into halftime.
After halftime, the Bulldogs started to gain momentum, putting up 16 points to the Bear Cubs’ 14. Both teams had a strong quarter with the Bear Cubs using a combination of patient ball movement and smart passing to get to the bucket, while CSM took advantage of fast breaks and three-pointers. The Bear Cubs held a 39-29 lead going into the fourth quarter.
CSM tightened the lead by sinking several three-pointers early in the fourth. Even still, the Bear Cubs held on, and with the help of some strategic timeouts to call plays resulting in clutch buckets securing the win with a final score of 55-47.
“It’s great to get a growing experience and the win. That doesn’t always happen,” SRJC head coach Lacy Campbell said. “I wanted us to play ahead of the situation and I think we were reacting a little bit and that’s why we were giving up some shots that we probably shouldn’t have given up but we talked about it. It’s a growing experience.”
The Bear Cubs were led by sophomore Ivy Gonzales and freshman Kaia Eubanks.
Gonzalez put up a monster 21 point, 13 rebound performance for a double-double, along with strong defense and a willingness to draw contact. Eubanks put up a double-double as well, with 16 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 7-10 from the field.
Gonzales attributes her and the team’s toughness to the work put in during practice.
“The good thing is we practice with the boys and have our own scout team. That’s really where it stems from,” Gonzales said. “Playing against guys that are faster and stronger than us.”
SRJC will look to build on their winning record on Tuesday, Dec. 10 at Butte College.
