3C2A Women's Basketball Quarterfinal #3: Arreola 3-pointer sends OCC to semis
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Orange Coast
28-3
|
15 | 11 | 21 | 13 | 60 |
|
San Joaquin Delta
26-5
|
13 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 56 |
Team Stats
| Game Statistics | Orange Coast | San Joaquin Delta |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (20-56) | (24-69) |
| Field Goal % | 35.7% | 34.8% |
| Rebounds | 29 | 39 |
| Assists | 9 | 7 |
| Turnovers | 20 | 18 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 15 | 16 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 9 | 14 |
| Pts in the Paint | 18 | 22 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 4 | 2 |
| Bench Pts | 13 | 23 |
(WALNUT) -- Jordan Arreola sank a corner 3-pointer as the shot clock was expiring for the game-winning basket with 12.6 seconds left to advance South #3 Orange Coast College past North #2 San Joaquin Delta, 60-56, in the third 3C2A Women's Basketball Championship quarterfinal on Thursday.
Ironically, Arreola is a sophomore transfer from Butte, the team that lost to Orange Coast in last season's championship game. And tonight she played hero for her Pirates squad.
"It felt so good," Arreola said. "It was just a surreal moment. Especially after the clock hit zero."
The defending state champion Pirates (28-3) stay alive after trailing Delta, 52-47, with five minutes remaining. The Mustangs (26-5) went on an 11-0 run to begin the fourth quarter after OCC led 47-41 going into the period.
Delta (26-5) had one last chance to tie it, but Anyce Jefferson's hard drive to the basket and lay-up attempt was short with seconds to go. Bridgette McIntyre hit two last free throws for the 4-point margin.
Orange Coast upped its winning streak to 18 games while Delta's 9-game string was broken.
McIntyre led all scorers with 21 points, including four treys, plus she made three steals. Ashari Cassell added 10 points and six rebounds. Arreola finished with nine points as did Sabrina Lopez off the bench.
"We've been here, and the lights are on and most of our players haven't been here before. That was a tough one," said OCC head coach Sammy Doucette. "Delta is really good defensively and we couldn't really get around them. I knew the first one was going to be the toughest."
For Delta, Jene Wells scored 10 points with six rebounds and three assists in 20 minutes of play before having to leave the game with an injury in the third quarter while Kiara Council came off the bench to score 10 (4-for-5 from the field). Senia Moore contributed nine points (trio of triples) and Kathreen Noa tallied eight points.
One big factor was free throws as OCC made 12-for-15 compared to just two attempts for Delta (both made by Wells).
In the first 20 minutes, the teams traded seven ties and five lead changes. A pair of free throws by Lopez gave Orange Coast a 15-13 lead after the first period.
In the second quarter, Delta went briefly ahead, 19-17, on a jumper by Wells. A layup by McIntyre gave OCC a 26-24 lead but Serenity Santos sank a jumper as the teams were knotted 26-26 at halftime.
"We lost our best defender in Wells in the third quarter, and that hurt us," said Delta head coach Gina Johnson. "But her replacement Kiara Council did a great job, and I'm proud of how she stepped up. That three just was the difference. It was a great basketball game, but the finish was just a bummer."
Orange Coast plays the winner of the Moorpark-Laney fourth quarterfinal.
Release by Robert Lewis, 3C2A State Tourney Women's Basketball SID/CCCWBCA Publicist
