SRJC 54, Fresno 54
In the Consolation Final of the Merced College Tournament, the Bear Cubs (1-1) were matched up against the Rams (1-1) of Fresno City College. The Bear Cubs registered the first two points of the game on Cammie Barsuglia's 10-footer with 8:22 on the clock. The Rams tied the score within 22 seconds. Neither team scored again until Jasmine Henderson swished her first shot--a 3-pointer--at the 5:01 mark. Nearly two minutes later Maiya Flores hit a 12-footer. The Rams put in their final two points of the quarter on a field goal with 2:34 left to cut their deficit to 4-7. The Bear Cubs scored the next nine points on two free throws each by Shayla Newman and DJ Hayes, a 3-pointer by Maiya Flores, and a 3-foot bank shot by Lilly Orozco at the buzzer for a 16-4 lead.
The Rams sank two 3-pointers in the first two minutes of the second quarter before Shayla Newman could add one free throw with 7:48 on the clock. Fifty-two seconds later Maiya Flores swished another 3-pointer. With 5:31 left Jasmine Henderson drained her second 3-pointer. The Rams tallied the next seven points on five free throws and a field goal to cut the Bear Cubs' lead to 23-19 at the 3:08 mark. Shayla Newman scored the Bear Cubs' last five points of the period on a field goal and three out of four free throws. The Rams added three free throws and a field goal with four seconds to go to get to 24-28 by halftime.
Back-to-back baskets by Shayla Newman and Maiya Flores in the opening minute of the third quarter stretched the lead to 32-24. The Rams made one free throw, and then Jasmine Henderson was fouled while banking in a driving layup. She sank the free throw to complete the 3-point play with 7:53 on the clock. The Rams scored six unanswered points to get the score to 31-35. A field goal each by Flores and Madeline Strom pushed the lead back up to eight, 39-31 with 5:12 left. The Rams then went on an 11-0 run on two field goals and seven free throws to jump ahead 42-39 at the 2-minute mark. Newman tied the score at 42 with a field goal and one of two free throws before the end of the quarter.
The Bear Cubs inbounded the ball to start the fourth quarter, and Britta Irvine's 10-footer put her team back in front. Shayla Newman added one free throw and Jasmine Henderson a field goal before the Rams swished a 3-pointer with 7:45 on the clock. Lizeth Zavala answered with a big 3-pointer of her own, followed by Britta Irvine's successful drive, Jasmine Henderson's third 3-pointer, and one free throw by Cammie Barsuglia, as the Bear Cubs sprinted out to a 56-45 advantage with 5:42 left. The Rams banked in a short shot 46 seconds later, and Maiya Flores sank a field goal 24 seconds after that. With 3:26 left, the Rams drew a shooting foul and made both free throws to get to 49-58. During the Bear Cubs' next possession, they broke the press then passed the ball around until Cammie Barsuglia drove to the basket. She was fouled and made both free throws. Shayla Newman blocked the Rams' next shot and grabbed the ball out of the air. Flores drew a foul, and with the Rams over the limit, she went to the free throw line where she missed the first but made the second. The Rams drained a 3-pointer with 2:02 left to get to 52-61. Newman drew a shooting foul with 1:27 remaining and made just the second free throw. Nine seconds later the Rams scored on a drive, making their deficit 54-62. With 1:12 left to play, Jasmine Henderson cut hard to the basket, caught the pass from Newman, and banked in the layup while being fouled. She made the free throw to complete her second 3-point play of the contest. The Rams got the ball close to the basket, but Newman again blocked the shot and pulled down the ball. The Bear Cubs were able to run out the clock to finish off their 65-54 win and earn the Consolation Championship plaque.
The Rams' full court press forced the Bear Cubs into committing numerous turnovers. But the Bear Cubs' own tough half court man-to-man defense caused their opponents to make only 27% of their shots (16 out of 59). The Bear Cubs, meanwhile, made 21 out of 52 shots (40%).
Jasmine Henderson was the leading scorer for the Bear Cubs with 17 points as she made all 3 of her field goal attempts, 3 of her 4 3-point shots, and 2 out of 4 free throws. Shayla Newman recorded another double-double with 15 points and 22 rebounds. Maiya Flores again scored in double figures with 15 points. Cammie Barsuglia added 5 points, Britta Irvine 4, Lizeth Zavala 3, and DJ Hayes, Lilly Orozco, and Maddie Strom 2 each. Shayla Newman blocked 6 shots and passed for a team-high 6 assists. Newman's 22 rebounds puts her in the SRJC record book as tied for #5 for single game performances.
Maiya Flores, who averaged 16.3 points and 2.7 assists per game, was selected to the All Tournament Team.