Jasmine Mata poured in a career-high 26 points on Tuesday night and the Morales twins took over the game in the second half, leading SBCC to a 100-83 women?s basketball victory over Bakersfield.
Mata, a 5-9 sophomore guard/forward from Dos Pueblos High, had 14 in the first half when the Vaqueros (3-0) closed with a 21-10 run to take a 47-37 lead at intermission. Mata hit 10-of-17 from the field, including 3-5 from 3-point land. She also had a game-high seven assists.
SBCC’s Jasmine Mata scores a career-high 26 points in a win over Bakersfield. (Photo by Ken Sciallo/Sevilla Photography)
?I thought we played really well tonight, we had a lot of synergy,? said Mata. ?We came together and played as a team. We love to press, get the ball and run. Transition is our game.?
The Vaqueros made 25 steals and forced the Renegades (1-3) into 40 turnovers. Darla Morales and Elia Salazar had five steals each while Sheryl Sheppele added four.
Salazar, a 5-11 forward/center, had 12 points and six rebounds and Mhiah Vickers tossed in 11 points.
?At halftime, we made a few adjustments because they were scoring on us and breaking our press,? said Vickers. ?We had to refocus and decide to stop them in the back court.?
Darla Morales collected 17 points and five assists and her twin sister, Andrea, scored 10. The Morales twins, 5-7 guards from Pacifica High in Oxnard, combined for 12 straight points in the second half, stretching a five-point lead to 17 at 64-47. Naturally, each twin scored six with Andrea hitting a pair of triples.
?Thank God they play for Santa Barbara,? said coach Sandrine Krul. ?That?s why we can press because they?re so good at it, on the ball, in the front court, everywhere.
?I have to play the sisters together. Another coach wanted to split them up and we said ?Come to Santa Barbara? and we won?t split you guys.? They?re awesome together.?
Lisa Henderson added two layups to the Vaqueros? 18-1 run and Darla Morales capped it with a layup off an in-bound pass from her sister, Andrea. That gave the Vaqueros a 70-48 lead with 12:30 to play.
?Our philosophy is to put as much pressure on them as possible by shuffling everyone in 3-4 minutes apart,? said Krul. ?When you?re the opponent, it?s tougher because it?s not the same person guarding you. So you?re going to get frazzled and get off-guard. Then, we have to score off all those steals.?
The Renegades got so frazzled that Nakia Page banked a shot into the Santa Barbara basket with 10:16 to play. Ninety seconds later, the Vaqueros took their biggest lead at 82-53 on an up-and-under layup by Tatum Maciel.
SBCC opens play in its eight-team MTXE Tournament on Thursday against L.A. Southwest at 8 p.m.
