Pirates grind out 63-53 win over Lasers

COSTA MESA -- Good teams find ways to win when the shots aren't falling and the Orange Coast College women's basketball team did just that as the Pirates pulled out a 63-53 Orange Empire Conference win over visiting Irvine Valley on Friday night inside the Peterson Gym.

Stellar free-throw shooting (19-of-25) helped neutralize some chilly shooting in the game (19-of-61) for the state's fifth-ranked Pirates (19-3, 8-0 in the OEC). OCC's defense also clamped down on the 14th-ranked Lasers (15-7, 6-2) 10 points below their season scoring average. 

Ashari Cassell and Jordan Arreola each had 17 points for Coast, while Bridgette McIntyre added 12 points and nine rebounds. Cassell (six steals) and Alyssa Dreessen (five steals) helped pace the defensive performance for the Pirates, who forced 22 IVC turnovers with 15 steals. 

Myia Collins anchored the boards for Coast with 11 rebounds, while Sabrina Lopez added eight points off of the bench.

For the Lasers, Haruka Mikuma led the way with 14 points and Moka Saiki added 10. After banging 19 3-pointers in Wednesday's blowout win over Riverside, the Lasers were held to just 5-of-18 from beyond the arc on Friday.

For the majority of the opening quarter, the Pirates were pitching an 11-0 shutout before IVC found a basket with under three minutes left in the first quarter. Points were hard to find for both teams and the Pirates settled for a 12-5 advantage after the opening 10 minutes of play.

Coast used an 11-2 run to start the second quarter and led 23-7 at the halfway mark. 

Leading 33-17 at the half, Coast continued to stifle the Lasers with aggressive defensive pressure, while finding enough offensive success to keep the game comfortable. The lead grew to as many as 21 in the third quarter (47-26) and that was more than enough cushion to withstand a late, fourth-quarter flurry from the Lasers.

With the win, Coast extends its first-place gap on the field and remains unbeaten in conference play at 8-0, with IVC now two games behind the Pirates at 6-2.

The Pirates will return to action on Wednesday at home against rival Golden West College, beginning at 6 p.m.