SRJC 72, Cosumnes River 46
For their first Big 8 Conference home game, the Bear Cubs (9-7, 0-1) hosted the Hawks (3-9, 1-0) of Cosumnes River College. The Bear Cubs got off to a great start, making 6 out of their first 8 shots to jump out to a 15-3 lead after four minutes of play. The two teams played pretty evenly the remainder of the quarter, so when the buzzer sounded the Bear Cubs were ahead 25-14.
The Hawks added two free throws to their total 24 seconds into the second quarter. Kerianne Noonen's two free throws three and half minutes later accounted for the Bear Cubs' first points of the quarter. After missing 11 shots to start the quarter, the Bear Cubs finally recorded a field goal on a shot by Ashley Hart at the 6:10 mark to make the score 29-16. The Bear Cubs made three out of their next five shots for a 35-20 advantage with 3:41 on the clock. The Hawks scored four more points in the quarter and Niambi Saint Louis' basket with 13 seconds left made the halftime score 37-24.
The Hawks again were the first to score in the third quarter. After the Bear Cubs missed their first three shots, Niambi Saint Louis hit three in a row and added a free throw on the plus-one for a 44-26 lead after just over two minutes of play. Zaina Depina's back-to-back 3-pointers boosted the differential to 50-26 at the 5:39 mark. Madison Barsuglia's field goal with 17 seconds left accounted for the 56-35 score at the end of the quarter.
Vai Thompson's field goal and Ashley Hart's 3-pointer started the scoring for the Bear Cubs in the final quarter to make the score 61-40 after three minutes of play. The Bear Cubs missed their next 7 shots before Kerianne Noonen and Niambi Saint Louis made consecutive baskets, making the score 66-45 with 4:32 remaining in the game. The Hawks were only able to add one free throw to their total, while the Bear Cubs tacked on a free throw by Meme Nicolis, a 3-pointer by Madison Barsuglia, and a final field goal by Vai Thompson for the 72-46 victory.
The Bear Cubs made 37% of their shots (29 out of 78) and 56% of their free throws (9 out of 16). The Bear Cubs' post players for once had the height advantage and were able to score inside without worrying about their shots getting blocked.
Posts Niambi Saint Louis and Vai Thompson were the top scorers with 18 and 14 points, respectively. Zaina Depina and Brooke Santander each scored 9 points. Kerianne Noonen contributed 8 points, and led the team with 12 rebounds and 8 assists. Madison Barsuglia and Ashley Hart each made a field goal and a 3-pointer for 5 points. Meme Nicolis scored 4 points and grabbed 9 rebounds as did Vai Thompson. Brooke Santander passed for her season-high of 6 assists.