Women's Basketball:Bear Cubs battle #1 team in the state but cant hold on

Cammie Barsulgia driving

SRJC 50, Diablo Valley College 72

             For their final 7:30 pm away game, the Bear Cubs (7-8, 3-3) made their shortest Big 8 road trip (63 miles) to tangle with the Vikings (18-0, 6-0) of Diablo Valley College, the top team in the State. Britta Irvine scored the first field goal of the game 87 seconds in when she sank a set shot from the left elbow. The Vikings quickly answered with a 3-pointer. Shayla Newman's two free throws put the Bear Cubs in front 4-3 at the 7:54 mark. The Vikings scored the next two field goals before Maiya Flores' hook shot with 3:36 on the clock. About a minute later the Vikings hit a 3-pointer for a 10-6 lead. Another minute after that Lilly Orozco's layup got the Bear Cubs to 8-10. The Vikings scored on a drive with 28 seconds remaining for a 12-8 lead as the quarter came to a close.

            The Vikings started the scoring in the second quarter with a 3-pointer. The Bear Cubs missed their first four shots before Maiya Flores sank a pull-up jumper with 7:40 on the clock. The Vikings drew a shooting foul and made both free throws. Then Jasmine Henderson scored inside to make the score 12-17 at the7:00 mark. After a Vikings' free throw and two field goals, Flores made a 12-footer with 3:42 left to get to 14-22. During the remainder of the period the Vikings put in four more field goals, while the Bear Cubs sank all five of their 2-point shots--two by Flores, two by Shayla Newman, and Lilly Orozco's 15-foot bank shot from straight away--to make the halftime score 30-24 in favor of the home team.

            Maiya Flores swished back-to-back 3-pointers to open the third quarter, tying the score at 30. Zahria Hendrix broke the tie 13 seconds later with her first 3-pointer of the game. Hendrix scored the next five points before Shayla Newman's successful drive made the score 32-38 midway through the period. The Bear Cubs made their next three shots in a row--DJ Hayes' 3-pointer, Flores' 8-footer, and Newman's 3-pointer--to get the score to 40-49 with 2:00 left. The Vikings finished the quarter with one of two free throws and a 3-point play to stretch their lead to 53-40.

            The Vikings put together a 9-0 run to start the fourth quarter. Britta Irvine broke the scoreless streak with a 3-pointer at the 7:17 mark. By the time Maiya Flores swished a 3-pointer with 5:34 on the clock, the Vikings' lead had widened to 66-46. In the remaining time the Bear Cubs missed their final seven shot attempts, Madeline Strom made both of her free throws, and Cammie Barsuglia went to the free throw line twice and made one out of two each time, while Hendrix scored the Vikings' last six points. The 72-50 win by the Vikings keeps their record a perfect 19-0.

            The Bear Cubs were able to stay with the Vikings in the first half. But in the second half they committed 15 turnovers, which limited their chances to score and gave their opponents more opportunities. In the fourth quarter the Bear Cubs made only two out of 13 shots (15%). By contrast they made eight out of 20 shots (40%) in the second quarter and did not turn the ball over even once. Zahria Hendrix got hot in the second half and led all scorers with 25 points, after only scoring three points in the first half. The Vikings came into the game averaging 92.4 points per game overall and 86 ppg against Big 8 opponents. The Bear Cubs' "holding" them to 72 points was a moral victory for their defensive efforts.

            Maiya Flores rediscovered her shooting touch, making 9 out of 17 shots (53%), including 3 3-pointers, to lead the Bear Cubs with 21 points. Shayla Newman missed a double-double by two boards as she scored 11 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. Britta Irvine contributed 5 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. Lilly Orozco added 4 points, DJ Hayes 3, and Jasmine Henderson, Cammie Barsuglia, and Madeline Strom 2 each.