The Villanova girls basketball team had not lost a league match in 15 games, but Carpinteria forward Juli Cullins changed that by swishing a mid-range jump shot as time expired to give her team a 29-27 victory.
Playing on the road, the Warriors put forth maximum effort on defense. Every point Villanova scored had to be earned, and Carpinteria sent their opponents to the free throw line 17 times, and three were made.
Erin Saito led the Warriors in scoring with 12 points, and rebounds with 7.
Carpinteria had a six point lead late in the fourth quarter, but Villanova used a full-court press to get back into the game. The host team scored to tie the game with 11 seconds remaining, and had a chance to take the lead on an and-1 free throw.
Villanova, ranked second in CIF Division 5AA, missed the free throw, giving Carpinteria a chance to knock off the Frontier League giants.
Elena Schneider broke the press which had frustrated the Warriors late in the game, and found Cullins at the elbow. The forward cooly put up the shot and gave her team a memorable victory.
“This is the biggest win we’ve had in two years, maybe three,” head coach Dan Mercer said.
Carpinteria (3-3 league, 9-12 overall) will continue its season on Saturday at Thacher.
