Sophomore guard Imelda Bealer had 13 points and nine rebounds Saturday night and SBCC used stellar defense to defeat Oxnard 65-52 in a women’s basketball game at the Sports Pavilion.
Bealer also had five assists, six steals and three blocked shot for the Vaqueros (18-10, 5-5 WSC North), who snapped a three-game losing streak.
Lyndsay Bergus scored 10 points with six rebounds and five assists while Jennifer Jimenez had 10 points and five boards. Brooke Berry, the 5-foot-2 dynamo, collected eight points and nine boards.
Santa Barbara led 22-10 in the first eight minutes, then settled for a 29-24 halftime advantage over the Condors. Oxnard (5-16, 0-10) made just 3-of-14 from the free-throw line in the first 20 minutes.
The Vaqueros made 30 percent from the field while holding the Condors to 32 percent. SBCC converted just 2-16 from long range in the first half.
“We’re passing the ball well but our shooters have to start making shots,” said coach Sandrine Krul. “We played so well in spurts, we just have to put 40 minutes together.”
Oxnard cut an 11-point deficit to six (53-47) with 4:08 to play but SBCC regained control on a layup by Jimenez and a 3-pointer from Leslie Steele. The Vaqueros nailed 11 of 14 from the charity stripe in the second half.
Krul feels her team will have a good shot at making the playoffs for the sixth straight year if they can beat Hancock (Wed. at home, 7 p.m.) and Cuesta in their final two games.
