Women’s basketball dispose of PCC 69-46
Mountie guard Tanisa Braxton goes up for a mid-range shot against PCC. - Photo by Sherazad Shaikh
The win gave them three in a row in South Coast Conference Northern Division play, and seven wins out of the last eight games overall.
Three Mounties scored in double figures with Brittney Lewis leading the way with 18 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and a block. Kimiere Hawkins tallied a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds, while Joanna Matthews added 10 points, six assists and two steals.
It looked as if Pasadena (19-3) were on its way to another victory as they went on a 15-0 run early in the first half after Brittney Lewis scored the first points of the game. The Lancers entered the game riding a 13-game winning streak.
Anna Shahinian led the way for the Lancers, scoring 8 of the 15 points during the run. She finished with 20 points to lead all scorers, a rebound and a steal. Kim Smith added 15 points and 4 steals, while Dominique Scott and Katie Nelson each tallied 4 points. Scott also had 8 rebounds and an assist.
Mt. SAC (17-5) finally put an end to the Lancers’ run when Qorreah Joice scored on a put-back with 12:45 remaining in the first half. The Mounties then slowly clawed back to catch the Lancers at 15-15 on a Cecy Cuevas basket. Matthews then gave the Mounties the 17-15 lead on a basket and a foul, but she weren’t able to complete the three-point play.
Mt. SAC then went on a 15-4 run to pull away at 33-19. The Lancers, however, weren’t done just yet, as they were able to score the last eight points of the half to close the gap to 33-27.
“We settled down,” said Mounties head coach Laura Beeman. “They came out really pumped up, hyped up, and they were able to [go on that 15-0 run]. Basketball is a game of runs. They had theirs and then we made ours.”
Mt. SAC then took over where they left off, scoring the first 10 points of the second half to take a commanding 43-27 lead. The Lancers could never get back on track, as the Mounties went on a 24-9 run to put the game away.
“We knew we were able to take it, and give some out, but at the end we were able to put the game away,” Beeman said.
Mt. SAC dominated the boards, as they out-rebounded the Lancers 59 to 27. Tanisha Braxton’s 14 and Kimiere Hawkins 12 led the way for the Mounties, who took had a 37-15 rebounding edge in the second half.
“They are a big and athletic team,” Beeman said. “We needed to get on the boards early knowing how big and athletic they were.”
On Friday night the team went on the road where they left their mark on East L.A. College with a 69-43 win. Their record is now 18-5 (4-0 in conference) as they will host Long Beach next Wed., Feb. 3 at 5:30 p.m.
Henry Montemayor
Staff Writer
