SRJC 49, City College of San Francisco 51
After the disappointing, but necessary, cancellation of the 2020-21 season, the Santa Rosa Junior College Women's Basketball team is happy to be back on the court and playing in front of family, friends, and fans—following health and safety protocols, of course. The Bear Cubs hosted the Rams of City College of San Francisco in the first contest of the season for both teams. Tal Webb got the Bear Cubs on the scoreboard with a 3-pointer after less than a minute of play. Following Trinity Hawkins' two free throws, the Bear Cubs made their next three shots in a row—two by Lizeth Zavala and one by Hawkins—to take an 11-7 lead at the 6:29 mark. Ashleigh Barr tallied the Bear Cubs' next three points on one of two free throws and a field goal a minute after that to extend the lead to 14-8. The Rams scored two unanswered field goals before the Bear Cubs finished the quarter with Ciarah Michalik making one of two free throws and Hanna Morris banking in a putback to make the lead 17-12.
During the second quarter both teams made four baskets each, but one of those for the Rams was from beyond the arc. By the end of the quarter the Rams were able to get ahead by one point, 27-26, by making 6 out of 12 free throws. The Bear Cubs only shot four free throws, making just one.
Ashleigh Barr took the first shot of the third quarter and made it. Trinity Hawkins sank two free throws a minute later for a 30-27 lead. The Rams responded with two 3-pointers, while the Bear Cubs added just one free throw by Tal Webb. Ciarah Michalik drew a shooting foul with 4:41 on the clock and made both free throws to tie the score at 33. During the remainder of the period, Lizeth Zavala made two field goals, including a putback, and Alex Ditizio made both of her free throws, while the Rams also made two field goals and two free throws to end the quarter with the score tied at 39 apiece.
The Rams scored first in the final quarter by dropping in a 3-pointer. Fifty seconds later Ciarah Michalik hit a short shot. The Rams added two free throws and a field goal before Alex Ditizio drove in for a basket at the 4:58 mark to cut the Bear Cubs' deficit to 43-46. The Rams answered with a field goal and one of two free throws for a 49-43 advantage with 3:47 on the clock. Tal Webb hit a tough shot 29 seconds later. Neither team could add any more points until Ciarah Michalik scored a field goal with 27 seconds to go. The Rams inbounded the ball and a hustling Lizeth Zavala intercepted the pass. Ashleigh Barr missed her short shot but got the rebound and banked the ball in as she was fouled, tying the score at 49. Following a timeout, Barr stepped to the free throw line but missed the shot. The Rams rebounded and called a timeout. They advanced the ball to their front court sideline to run an inbounds play with 18 seconds remaining. The Bear Cubs almost stopped the Rams, but instead they fouled the shooter with four seconds on the clock. Mikayla Amoroso made the first free throw. She missed the second but got her own rebound. The CCSF coach called a timeout before the Bear Cubs could tie up the ball with the clock showing 0.9. The Rams inbounded and the Bear Cubs immediately fouled. Talo Li-Uperesa missed the first free throw but made the second for a 51-49 lead. The Bear Cubs called a timeout and advanced the ball to in front of their bench. Tal Webb was able to get a long shot off from the top of the free throw circle, but the ball dropped short of the target.
This was a tight, hard fought game with neither team shooting particularly well. The Rams made 16 out of 53 shots (30.2%), but 5 of those made baskets were 3-pointers. The Bear Cubs made 18 out of 61 shots (29.5%), with only one 3-pointer. At the free throw line the Rams sank 14 out of 25 (56%) to the Bear Cubs' 12 out of 21 (57.1%).
Tal Webb was the only Bear Cub to score in double figures with 10 points. Trinity Hawkins and Lizeth Zavala each tallied 8 points. Ashleigh Barr added 7 points, Ciarah Michalik 5, Kierra Johnson and Alex Ditizio 4 each, and Hanna Morris 3. Ashleigh Barr was the top rebounder with 9. Post player Hanna Morris passed for 3 assists. Ciarah Michalik made 4 steals.