The Santa Rosa Junior College women’s basketball team lost 55-44 against Cosumnes River despite a strong performance from forward Kaia Eubanks on Feb. 7 at home.
The Bear Cubs entered the game with a 6-4 record in conference play. Their previous game against Folsom Lake was postponed due to a leak in the Haehl Pavilion ceiling, and is schedule to resume Friday, Feb. 14.
The Hawks entered the game coming off a 66-50 loss to second-place San Joaquin Delta.
The game was the Bear Cubs’ first “Play4Kay Pink Game,” with all proceeds from ticket sales going to the Kay Yow Foundation.
Cosumnes River took control and got out to an early lead. The Hawks held the Bear Cubs scoreless until Eubanks finally put SRJC on the board with three minutes left in the quarter.
The Bear Cubs created open looks but couldn’t knock anything down. Eubanks and forward Cece Solano added buckets to give the Bear Cubs some momentum, but they still trailed 18-7 at the end of the first quarter.
“We started the game flat and let our opponents get ahead of us, and we struggled to recover from that as the game went on,” Eubanks said. “I think tonight we struggled offensively, and had a hard time getting ball movement to create open looks against their zone defense.”
The Hawks came out aggressive in the second quarter, pressing the Bear Cubs full court and limiting their ball movement.
Similar to the first quarter, Eubanks led the Bear Cubs offense and helped reduce the deficit to five. A back-and-forth quarter ended with the Bear Cubs trailing 28-22, keeping them within reach.
The Hawks opened the third quarter strong, draining buckets and pinning the Bear Cubs back. SRJC guard Lindsey Arellano played strong defense and controlled the glass, picking up five rebounds. On the other end of the court, she contributed four points.
Bear Cubs guard Ivy Gonzalez had an uncharacteristically slow night, shooting just 3-for-20 from the field. She still managed to contribute 16 points, 12 rebounds and one assist, with eight points coming from free throws where she was perfect, going 8-for-8 on the night.
The Hawks’ physical presence and precise shooting helped them finish the quarter up 44-31.
SRJC attempted a comeback in the fourth quarter, with Gonzalez and guard Betzie Hernandez hitting threes. Forward Sydney Martin was aggressive inside, drawing fouls and grabbing eight rebounds. Despite the Bear Cubs’ efforts, the Hawks held on to win 55-44.
Eubanks finished with 15 points on 6-for-11 shooting with eight rebounds and three steals.
“For our next game, as a team we really need to focus on our next couple of practices in order to prepare for our game the best we can,” Eubanks said. “We spend a lot of time watching film and going over the scouting reports our coaches make for us so we know what to expect from opponents and what we need to do in order to beat them.”
Following a 61-47 loss at Sierra College, the Bear Cubs have dropped down to 6-6 in conference play. They are back in action Thursday at Sac City, before returning home to Haehl Pavilion to resume the game against Folsom Lake at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 14.
