SRJC 51, Folsom Lake College 59
The Bear Cubs (13-7, 4-3) hosted the Falcons (5-14, 1-5) of Folsom Lake College in front of spectators for the first time in 2022. Jasmine Hess swished a 3-pointer on the Falcons' opening possession and sank a field goal their next time down. Tal Webb drained a 3-pointer, the Falcons made a 2-pointer, Ciarah Michalik scored on a drive, Ashleigh Barr made 3 out of 4 free throws, and Trinity Hawkins drove from the left side low post around to the right to bank in the one-handed shot for a 10-7 lead at the 6:26 mark. The Bear Cubs missed all eight of their final shots in the period, while the Daily Applegarth hit a 3-pointer and Macie Purbaugh a field goal with 39 seconds left to help the Falcons take a 12-10 lead by the end of the quarter.
Three minutes into the second quarter, Trinity Hawkins tied the score at 12 with a 12-foot jumper. Ciarah Michalik's 15-footer briefly put the Bear Cubs ahead. The Falcons tied the score on a basket by Bella Rainwater. Ashleigh Barr sank an 8-footer, and Rainwater made another basket. Lizeth Zavala scored on a drive through traffic, Amani Britton made a successful low post move for the Falcons, Trinity Hawkins hit a 10-footer, Britton again maneuvered inside to tie the score at 20 with 2:17 on the clock. Barr caught Hawkins' assist next to the basket 18 seconds later. Alex Ditizio made one free throw to end the first half scoring and give the Bear Cubs a 23-20 lead.
Trinity Hawkins scored the first basket of the third quarter on a drive. The Falcons tied the score with a field goal and a Jasmine Hess 3-pointer. Tal Webb swished her own 3-pointer. The Falcons made one free throw, and then Trinity Hawkins completed a 3-point play. Kierra Johnson caught the ball inside, faked, and spun around to put in the shot with 4:59 on the clock. The Falcons sank a field goal and a 3-pointer to close to 31-33. Johnson drew a shooting foul and made both free throws. Ciarah Michalik stole the ball, drove towards the hoop, got stopped by a defender at the edge of the key, then faked, and put in the shot for a 37-31 advantage. The Falcons scored the next four points on a pair of free throws and a field goal. Ashleigh Barr sank an 8-footer. The Falcons added two free throws with nine seconds left, and Trinity Hawkins also made two with four seconds to go for a 41-37 lead.
Neither team scored in the first two minutes of the fourth quarter. Then the Falcons got hot and sank 5 unanswered shots—all from beyond the arc and by four different players. After Ciarah Michalik made her two free throws at the 4:15 mark, the Bear Cubs were behind 43-52. Twenty-three seconds later, Daily Applegarth swished her second 3-pointer of the quarter. Tal Webb lobbed a pass over defenders to Ashleigh Barr, who dropped in the 2-footer. Following a Falcons' miss, Michalik drove to the basket and drew a shooting foul. She made both free throws to get to 47-55 with 3:08 on the clock. Sixty-four seconds later, Lizeth Zavala tossed in a runner from 8 feet out. The Bear Cubs missed their next three shots while the Falcons added a field goal and two free throws. Ashleigh Barr's 4-foot jumper with two seconds left completed the scoring, as the Falcons pulled off the 59-51 upset victory.
The Falcons' defense kept the Bear Cubs' shooters from feeling comfortable and confident, as evidenced by their numerous missed close shots and the very few made outside shots. The Bear Cubs made just 18 out of 55 shots (32.7%), while the Falcons were successful on 21 out of 52 (40.4%). This was a closely contested game for the first three quarters. The Falcons dominated the scoring in the fourth quarter by draining six 3-pointers and finishing with a total of 10 compared to the Bear Cubs' two. Two Falcons made three 3-pointers each and two made two each. Jasmine Hess and Macie Purbaugh led the Falcons with 13 and 10 points, respectively.
Trinity Hawkins and Ashleigh Barr both scored 13 points each and Ciarah Michalik 10. Tal Webb added 6 points, Lizeth Zavala and Kierra Johnson 4 each, and Alex Ditizio 1. Trinity Hawkins grabbed 6 rebounds. Tal Webb made 4 steals.