SBCC took the lead with a 15-2 run to open the second half on Wednesday night and went on to beat L.A. Pierce 81-72 in a WSC North women’s basketball game at Woodland Hills.
The Vaqueros (16-7, 4-0), ranked No. 19 in the state and 10th in Southern Cal, overcame a 32-29 halftime deficit by switching to a trapping zone defense. After the 15-2 burst, the Vaqueros led 44-34 with 11:40 to play.
Taylor DeSilva had 15 points, 10 rebounds and four steals for Santa Barbara, which had four players between 11 and 15 points. Brooke Amenta added 15 points and four rebounds while Jasmine Mata had 13 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, and four boards.
Kameron Jones, a 6-3 center, topped Pierce (13-9, 1-3) with 27 points.
“We kept switching from man to zone and back again to try and stop her inside,” said coach Sandrine Krul. “She only had four points in the last five minutes.”
The Vaqueros were outshot (42 to 38 percent) and outrebounded (50-42) but committed just 16 turnovers while forcing 30. SBCC won the second half 52-40 and came within two points of its season high on offense.
Mhiah Vickers had 11 points, four rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Sara Crane did a little of everything with seven points, 10 rebounds, six assists and seven steals.
“We’re playing like a true team, not just one person,” added Krul, after the 170th win of her nine-year SBCC career. “Everybody plays and they’re in and out, so we’re always fresh. We live by our 12 for 40 motto (12 players going hard for 40 minutes).”
After a bye on Saturday, SBCC hosts Moorpark on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
