SBCC got off to a good start in Saturday night’s Southern Cal Regional quarterfinal, then went cold and never recovered in a 57-35 women’s basketball loss at No. 5 San Bernardino Valley.
The Vaqueros (17-13) opened on a 12-5 run, capped by a jumper from Courtney Houston at the 12:51 mark. The Wolverines (25-5) went to a zone and outscored the visitors 19-4 to take a 24-16 halftime lead.
“We held them to 24 in the first half and we were doing a good job of getting deep into the shot clock,” said coach Sandrine Krul. “We just couldn’t score. We played so hard the last two games.”
Sophomore Sara Crane scored eight points and grabbed six rebounds for the Vaqueros, who were outshot 34.5 to 26.5 percent. They also committed 24 rebounds compared to 16 for the Wolverines.
Michelle Herrera and Mhiah Vickers added six apiece. Neika Puryear topped the Wolverines with 18 points.
The Vaqueros got within six points, 29-23, on a jumper by Brooke Amenta with 12:16 to play. San Bernardino responded with a 14-2 run that stretched the lead to 18 points.
“This group has been with me three years and it’s hard right now,” added Krul. “They’re very special and really good people. They won’t remember this game years from now, but they’ll remember this season.”
