Women's Basketball: First Big 8 game goes to the Falcons

Hanna Morris and Beth Zavala playing defense

SRJC 46, Folsom Lake College 50

            The Bear Cubs (4-5) started Big 8 Conference play on the road at Folsom Lake College to take on the Falcons (9-4). The Bear Cubs got on the scoreboard first when Kierra Johnson was successful on a drive from the low post with 8:38 on the clock. Less than a minute later, the Falcons hit the first of two consecutive 3-pointers. Johnson's putback at the 6:32 mark and Trinity Hawkins' pull-up jumper 36 seconds after that tied the score at 6. The Bear Cubs threw a crosscourt pass that was intercepted and resulted in a Falcon layup. Johnson got open near the basket, caught the perfect pass from Kassi Agapoff, and banked in the shot. The Falcons made two quick field goals for a 12-8 lead with 4:10 left. Fifty-four seconds later, Lani Lincoln dropped in an 8-foot floater. Amaya Macandog sank a 12-footer with 42 seconds remaining to knot the score at 12 apiece.

            Trinity Hawkins scored the first field goal of the second quarter two minutes in when she pulled down a defensive rebound, dribbled the length of the court past defenders, and banked in the layup. Forty seconds later the Falcons tied the score, but Kierra Johnson's scoring drive right after that put the Bear Cubs in front 16-14. Neither team could score during the next three-and-a-half minutes. With 3:46 on the clock, Kassi Agapoff caught a long offensive rebound above the free throw circle and swished the 3-pointer. The Falcons answered with their own 3-pointer. Agapoff then scored on a drive. The Falcons added a field goal about a minute later to get to 19-21. Trinity Hawkins sank a 4-foot jumper, and Lani Lincoln drove in and dropped in the floater for a 25-19 lead with 1:00 left. In the final minute, the Bear Cubs turned the ball over and gave up an offensive rebound, which made it possible for the Falcons to score two field goals and cut their deficit to 23-25 by halftime.

            The Falcons drew a shooting foul on their first possession of the third quarter and made both free throws. Lani Lincoln's steal and layup followed by Kierra Johnson's two field goals stretched the Bear Cubs' lead to 31-26 with 6:25 on the clock. The Falcons tied the score at 31 before Johnson went to the free throw line to shoot what turned out to be the Bear Cubs' only two free throws of the contest. Johnson missed the first but made the second. Lani Lincoln swished a 3-pointer with 1:46 left, but within seconds the Falcons converted a 3-point play. Lincoln's basket at the end of a spin move made the score 37-34. The Falcons added one more field goal with 15 seconds left, and then Johnson drained a shot from beyond the arc to give the Bear Cubs a 40-36 lead.

            The Bear Cubs missed their first seven shots of the fourth quarter and committed turnover. The Falcons took advantage and scored five unanswered points. Kierra Johnson broke the Bear Cubs' scoreless streak at the 5:06 mark when she caught Trinity Hawkins's pass from the high post and put in the 1-footer. The Falcons responded with a big 3-pointer and subsequent 3-point play for a 47-42 advantage with 3:56 on the clock. Sixteen seconds later, Hawkins and Johnson again connected on a high to low post pass to get to 44-47. The Bear Cubs missed their next shots. The Falcons drew a shooting foul with 49 seconds left and made one free throw. The Bear Cubs again were unable to get the ball to fall through the basket. Their defensive pressure forced the Falcons into committing a 10-second backcourt violation, but they were still unable to capitalize. The Falcons rebounded and called a timeout with 13 seconds to go and advanced the ball to their front court sideline. When play resumed, it took the Bear Cubs five seconds to foul. The Falcons sank both free throws for a 50-44 margin. Kierra Johnson socred one last field goal with 0.3 seconds remaining. The Bear Cubs called their final timeout. When the Falcons inbounded the ball from the baseline, they just tossed it toward the middle of the court. It bounced right to Lizbeth Zavala, who in surprise, picked up the loose ball and launched the 40-foot shot that bounced off the backboard and rim, leaving the Bear Cubs on the losing end of the 46-50 final score.

            The Bear Cubs played well on defense, holding to the Falcons, who came into the game averaging 64 points per game, to 50 points. They forced 13 Falcon turnovers, including one 30-second shot clock violation, one backcourt pass, and one 10-second backcourt violation. Unfortunately, the Bear Cubs struggled at times offensively. They committed 20 turnovers and only made 35% of their shots (21 out of 60). A number of those misses were from less than two feet away. The Falcons literally won the game at the free throw line, as they made 12 out of 16, compared to the Bear Cubs' 1 out of 2. The Falcons were whistled for just 3 fouls, while the visitors were tagged for 12.

            Kierra Johnson led the Bear Cubs in scoring with 22 points. Lani Lincoln only got off three 3-point attempts, making one, to finish with 11 points. Trinity Hawkins added 6 points, Kassi Agapoff 5, and Amaya Macandog 2. Lincoln was the leading rebounder with 8, while Hawkins and Johnson each grabbed 7. Agapoff passed for 4 assists and made 3 steals.