SRJC 69, College of Marin 29
On the first day of December, the Bear Cubs (1-3) made their shortest road trip of the season to face the Mariners (1-6) of the College of Marin. The Bear Cubs scored the first two field goals in less than 30 seconds to start the game—a 12-foot pull-up jumper by Tal Webb and a 1-footer by Ciarah Michalik on an assist from Tal. Two minutes later Trinity Hawkins sank a 3-pointer. Then she intercepted a Mariners' pass, drove the length of the court, and banked in the layup, prompting the College of Marin coach to call a time-out with 7:31 on the clock and the Bear Cubs ahead 9-0. The Mariners responded with a 3-pointer and a field goal. Ciarah Michalik's 3-pointer at the 4:43 mark started a 12-0 run by the Bear Cubs, which included Tal Webb's 3-pointer, Kierra Johnson's one free throw, Michalik's second 3-pointer, and Johnson's 1-footer on a pass from Lizeth Zavala, for a 21-5 lead. In the final minute of the period the Mariners added a 3-pointer and Trinity Hawkins sank a jump shot, putting the Bear Cubs in front 23-8.
Lizbeth Zavala scored first to start the second quarter when she stole a pass and then dribbled the 65 feet to put in the layup. Nearly three minutes later the Mariners' Jayden Davis swished a 3-pointer and added a field goal during their next possession. The Bear Cubs missed eight shots in a row before Trinity Hawkins drove around three defenders to score with 5:22 on the clock, making the Bear Cubs' lead 27-13. The Bear Cubs then missed their next 10 shots. Meanwhile the Mariners added a 3-pointer and a field goal. With 1:17 on the clock Hawkins sank a 15-foot pull-up jumper. The Mariners finished the quarter with one free throw, while Kierra Johnson hit a set shot from just below the free throw line to go into halftime with a 31-19 lead.
The Bear Cubs dominated play the entire third quarter, forcing the Mariners to commit 12 turnovers and make only one field goal. Eight different Bear Cubs scored for a total of 24 points. During a span of a little over two minutes, Ashleigh Barr put in three field goals. Nine different Bear Cubs made at least one steal. Both Trinity Hawkins and Alex Ditizio turned interceptions into layups. By the end of the period, the Bear Cubs had extended their lead to 55-21.
The Mariners started the fourth quarter with the ball but were unable to score. Lizeth Zavala made the Bear Cubs' first shot of the period as she drove along the baseline and around defenders to bank in the layup. Nearly two minutes later Kierra Johnson scored on a putback to begin a string of four field goals in a row, including Trinity Hawkins' drive, Ciarah Michalik's steal and full-court layup, and Lizeth Zavala's Euro step drive, to stretch the lead to 65-24 with 6:00 on the clock. The Mariners made a 3-pointer and a field goal to get to 29 points with 3:38 left. Alex Ditizio scored the final four points of the contest on a fast break layup after catching Lizbeth Zavala's long lead pass, and then turning a steal into a basket with 42 seconds remaining, as the Bear Cubs posted a 69-29 win.
The Mariners, with only 7 players, had trouble dealing with the Bear Cubs' trapping and extended defense. The Bear Cubs made a season-low 11 turnovers while the Mariners committed 32. The Bear Cubs attempted a season-high 88 shots but made only 30 of them (34%). They grabbed 30 offensive rebounds but only put back 4. During the third quarter, the Mariners outscored their opponents 11-8, as the Bear Cubs only made 4 out of 27 shot attempts (15%). Jayden Davis finished with 15 points for the Mariners.
Trinity Hawkins led the Bear Cubs with 18 points. Ciarah Michalik also scored in double figures with 10. Kierra Johnson added 9 points, Tal Webb 8, Alex Ditizio and Ashleigh Barr 6 each, Lizeth Zavala and Lizbeth Zavala 4 each, Hanna Morris 3, and Rose Nevin 1. Ashleigh Barr was the top rebounder with 11, and Hanna Morris grabbed 9. Lizbeth Zavala led in assists and steals with 5 and 4, respectively.