Santa Barbara showed in the first half Thursday night that it can play with highly ranked Ventura, as the Dons frustrated the Cougars with their zone defense and took a 20-18 lead.
But Ventura figured things out in the second half, dominated the backboards, and star player Sam Meyer got hot, leading the Cougars to a 52-39 Channel League victory at J.R. Richards Gym.
Meyer scored a game-high 18 points, including 11 in the second half. Meghan Shanks added 12 points.
Ventura’s size advantage was key factor in the game as it controlled the rebounding.
Santa Barbara got good games from guards Melissa Lemus, who led the team with 13 points, and Ivette Gil, who added 12 points.
The Dons fall to 2-3 in Channel League and 13-8 overall. Ventura is 4-0, 16-3.
