Pirates blow out Dons to keep perfect OEC record
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Santa Ana (13-13, 3-9) | 7 | 6 | 10 | 12 | 35 |
|
Orange Coast (23-3, 12-0) | 25 | 20 | 35 | 14 | 94 |
COSTA MESA -- The wins continue to pile up for the Orange Coast College women's basketball team as the defending state champs made it a perfect 12-0 in Orange Empire Conference play with a 94-35 win over visiting Santa Ana on Thursday inside the Peterson Gym.
The win all but assures a second-straight conference championship for the state's fourth-ranked Pirates (23-3, 12-0) as they hold a two-game lead on second-place Irvine Valley (19-7, 10-2) with two games left to play. One more win against either Fullerton or Saddleback will give Coast it's second OEC title in a row. If the Pirates win the final two games they will finish unbeaten in the OEC for the first time since the 2006-07 season.
Bridgette McIntyre led the Pirates with 26 points, while Jordan Arreola added 20. Ashari Cassell tossed in 12 points to go with seven assists, while Sabrina Lopez made the most of her time on the court with five points, 12 rebounds, four assists and four steals in just 17 minutes of action.
Everyone on the Pirates saw double-figures in play time as the game was out of reach early on against a shorthanded Dons' squad that was riddled with injuries.
Selena Hernandez led SAC with 18 points and four steals.
The OCC defense, sparked with a relentless press and five steals from Alyssa Dreessen, held the Dons to just 13 points in the first half and the rout was on from there. Coast led 45-13 at the break and never looked back. Coast forced 32 SAC turnovers and used a decisive height advantage down low to out-rebound the Dons, 58-26.
Coast will return to action on Wednesday at Fullerton College (7 p.m.) before wrapping up the regular season at home against Saddleback College on Friday, Feb. 23, beginning at 5 p.m.
