Women’s Basketball: Pirates continue surge
The Orange Coast College women’s basketball team isn’t going to jump over opponents, or run past them, or out-muscle anyone. But two-thirds of the way into the Orange Empire Conference season, the Pirates are still within striking distance of first place.
As OCC Coach Mike Thornton has proved time and again during his 28 seasons, playing smart and playing hard can still be a winning formula, even perhaps enough to capture a championship.
The Pirates used ball movement, active defense, surprisingly productive rebounding and their trademark perimeter shooting to produce a 67-56 victory over OEC visitor Riverside on Wednesday.
With its fourth win in a row, including an upset of first-place Saddleback on Friday, the Pirates (17-9, 5-3 in conference) continue to hang around behind Saddleback (7-1 in conference) and Cypress (6-1).
The Pirates built and squandered leads through the first 28 minutes, but kept producing to pull away from the Tigers (16-8, 3-4).
OCC surrendered 19 offensive rebounds in the first half, but just six in the second, when it outrebounded the taller, quicker, more bouncy visitors, 23-16.
Sophomore reserve Sarah Nunes grabbed a season-best 11 rebounds, while freshman Sydney Driggs had a career-high seven boards to go with her team-best 17 points.
Sophomore Danielle Obong matched her season-best with seven rebounds, while sophomore Michelle Wu’s six rebounds were one off her career high.
Driggs drained three three-pointers, including one with two seconds left in the third quarter that put the hosts up, 56-46. OCC used a 15-2 run at the end of the third period and the start of the fourth to bury the Tigers, who made just two of six foul shots.
OCC was 15 for 21 from the line and created foul trouble for 5-foot-10 Riverside sophomore center Paradise Hanchett, who had five points and seven rebounds, both one more than her season-low, in 25 minutes.
Sophomore reserve Megan McCullough had 13 points on four-for-seven field-goal shooting, including two for five from three-point range.
Wu and Obong also had a pair of three-pointers apiece as the Pirates made 10 of 37 from threedom.
All six of Riverside’s three-pointers came from sophomore point guard Britney Gonzalez, who was nine for 25 from the field.
Gonzalez’s streaky shooting spurred three Riverside surges that cut into OCC leads. The Tigers led, 32-31, with 1:33 left before halftime.
Riverside pared a 12-point OCC cushion to within 48-46 with 2:19 left in the third quarter, as Gonzalez scored 11 points within just more than two minutes, including three three-pointers.
But a three-point play by McCullough and two free throws by Pendergrass, who was four for four from the line, set the stage for Driggs’ aforementioned clutch three-pointer to end the third period.
After Riverside opened the fourth-quarter scoring, Obong drained a three to spark a 7-0 OCC surge that upped the lead to a game-best 15 points.
“Riverside is the most athletic team in our conference and it’s not even close,” Thornton said. “We gave up 19 offensive rebounds in the first half, so we wanted to focus on stopping that in the second half. We finished strongly and made good plays at the end of the game. We really needed that win and we have a big one Friday at Cypress.
“[Nunes, a former starter who missed three conference games with a concussion] has been giving us what we need from her.”
Pendergrass contributed nine points, seven rebounds, six assists and matched Wu, Obong and Nunes with two steals.
Orange Empire Conference
Orange Coast 67, Riverside 56
SCORE BY QUARTERS
RCC 16 – 16 –14 – 10 – 56
OCC 16 – 17 – 23 – 11 – 67
RCC – Hewitt 4, Hanchett 5, Gonzalez 24, Uzowuru 12, Morrow 3, Adams 4, Barnett 2, Burris 2.
3-pt. goals – Gonzalez 6.
Fouled out – Uzowuru.
Technicals – Uzowuru 1.
OCC – Driggs 17, Lewis 3, Wu 11, Pendergrass 9, Obong 6, McCullough 13, Nunes 8.
3-pt. goals – Driggs 3, Wu 2, Obong 2, McCullough 2, Pendergrass 1.
Fouled out – None.
Technicals – None.
Twitter: @BarryFaulkner5
