SBCC opened the second half on an 18-4 run Thursday afternoon and went on to beat Reedley 66-48 in the opening round of the Lady Bulldog Basketball Classic at Hancock College.
Taylor DeSilva came off the bench to score a career-high 13 points on 5-7 shooting. She also had nine rebounds, three assists and two steals for 20th-ranked Vaqueros (8-3).
After leading 29-22 at intermission, SBCC used its full-court press to force turnovers and stretched the margin to 47-26 in the first nine minutes of the second half.
Michelle Herrera had 12 points (on 5-5 shooting) and three steals, Mhiah Vickers had nine points and 10 boards and Sara Crane added eight points, seven rebounds and four assists. Brooke Amenta scored 10 points.
“We go on these great runs but they always seem to be in the second half,” said coach Sandrine Krul. “We’ve got to learn to play hard and efficiently from the start.”
The Vaqueros shot 43.1 percent and prevailed despite making just 39.1 percent (9-23) from the free-throw line. Reedley was only 3-10 on foul shots.
Santa Barbara will battle WSC North rival Cuesta (6-1) in a semifinal on Friday at 5 p.m.
