The Santa Rosa Junior College women’s basketball team struggled with turnovers in a 76-53 loss to San Joaquin Delta at home on Friday, Jan. 24.
Head coach Lacey Campbell attributed Friday’s loss to the Mustang’s pace-of-play and pressure.
“The key challenges were their pressure and their ability to make us play faster than we were comfortable,” she said. “They forced turnovers which led to easy baskets for them.”
This pressure led to a whopping 16 steals compared to the Bear Cubs five.
The Bear Cubs would have their toughest quarter right out the gate, ending the first quarter down 32-17 after five consecutive three-pointers from Delta.
The Bear Cubs fought back in the second quarter, answering each Mustang basket with one of their own. Santa Rosa scored 11 points to Delta’s 12, closing the half down 44-28.
The second half began much like the first, with Delta scoring 17 points to the Bear Cubs’ 11. After going scoreless in the final minutes of the third quarter, Bear Cubs forward Cece Solano was fouled and given two shots at the free throw line. Solano went 2-2 to end the third.
Santa Rosa forward Syndey Martin hit two consecutive shots to open the fourth before Mustangs guard Jakayla Gilmer sank a three that would begin a run for Delta. The Mustangs went 4-4 from the field and were unanswered until Santa Rosa guard Cele Urzua sank a three – the first points since the Mustangs’ streak began in the fourth.
Freshman Kaia Eubanks led the way with 12 points, four rebounds, one block and one steal. Eubanks also went 2-2 on free throws. Another notable performance came from freshman forward Sydney Martin who put up 11 points with five rebounds and two assists.
Sophomore Ivy Gonzalez had an uncharacteristic night, putting up seven points and going 0-3 on three-pointers. Gonzalez is currently the leader in the Big 8 for highest average points per game, and fifth place in state.
Coach Campbell is hopeful that Tuesday’s bye will be beneficial for the team.
“We are focusing on the next game,” she said. “Having the bye this week on Tuesday is allowing us to focus on getting healthy and back to our basics. We are focusing on how to limit our mistakes and get better on the offensive end”.
The team will travel to Pleasant Hill to play against Diablo Valley College on Friday, Jan. 31.
