SRJC 64, Sierra College 62
The Bear Cubs (15-2, 4-1) were scheduled to play the Wolverines (9-7, 3-1) at Sierra College, but the electricity on their campus was out due to a car knocking over a utility pole. Fortunately, the Sierra Athletic Director was able to relocate the game to William Jessup University in Rocklin, which was about eight miles away.
The Wolverines scored the first point of the contest when Julianne Cotterill made one free throw after nearly a minute of play. The Bear Cubs answered with Ashleigh Barr's 1-footer off the assist from Lanie Lincoln. Cotterill scored from the low post, and then Barr banked in a short shot on a baseline inbounds pass from Ciarah Michalik. Alyssa Premo's 3-point play put the Wolverines ahead 6-4. Lanie Lincoln swished a 3-pointer, and then Cotterill made two more field goals. Lucca Lowenberg's drive and one free throw by Michalik tied the score at 10-10 with 3:25 on the clock. Cotterill sank two more shots from inside the key. Rose Nevin drew a shooting foul with 1:59 left and made both free throws. Sandy Dell also sank two free throws. Michalik's drive got the Bear Cubs to 14-16. Julianna Chavez's 3-pointer gave the Wolverines a 19-14 lead by the end of the quarter.
The Bear Cubs started the second quarter with Meredith Gilbertson's 1-footer off the assist from Ashleigh Barr, and Lanie Lincoln's basket on her drive, pivot, spin, and release from the middle of the key. The Wolverines made the next two field goals before Lucca Lowenberg swished a 3-pointer on a baseline inbounds play. Christiane Carlisle sank a 2-pointer, and then Ciarah Michalik was fouled on a drive. She made just the first free throw, and 90 seconds later she drained a 3-pointer to tie the score at 25-25. Sheriene Arikat's basket from inside the paint was soon followed by Sarah Reuter's with 3:26 on the clock. Michalik intercepted a pass, drove down, stopped about 12 feet from the basket, and sank the jumper. Hailey Kimber's field goal was followed by Michalik's 3-pointer. Cotterill tallied the Wolverines' last point of the half when she went to the free throw line and made just the second free throw. Michalik made both of her free throws with 1:00 left, and Ashleigh Barr sank a 1-footer off the assist from Meredith Gilbertson to give the Bear Cubs a 36-30 halftime lead.
The Bear Cubs scored the first five points of the third quarter on Lanie Lincoln's 3-pointer and her successful drive the next time down. The Wolverines made two out of four free throws, and then Lincoln dropped in another 3-pointer. Lucca Lowenberg's successful drive and two free throws by Ashleigh Barr gave the Bear Cubs a 48-32 advantage at the 5:59 mark. Chavez hit a 3-pointer 15 seconds later. Ciarah Michalik lobbed a pass over a defender to Ashleigh Barr, who banked in the 1-footer. Chavez sank another 3-pointer, and Sheriene Arikat scored on a drive with 4:09 on the clock. In the remaining minutes of the period, Michalik sank one free throw, Lanie Lincoln made a layup off the assist from Alex Ditizio, and Lowenberg swished a 3-pointer. The Wolverines added eight points on three baskets and a pair of free throws, making their deficit 46-58.
Lucca Lowenberg scored the first basket of the fourth quarter on a drive and release from six feet away. The Wolverines went on a 7-0 run before Sheriene Arikat dropped in a 5-footer, which made the Bear Cubs' lead 62-53 with 6:20 on the clock. The Wolverines scored seven unanswered points on Carlisle's 3-pointer and two free throws each by Cotterill and Chavez to close the gap to 60-62. Lowenberg's two free throws with 2:09 left put the Bear Cubs in front 64-60. Premo's field goal a minute later got the Wolverines within two points. During the final minute of the contest, the Bear Cubs missed one close shot, had a shot blocked, and missed four free throws. The Wolverines missed one shot, had a shot blocked by Alex Ditizio and their last blocked by Ashleigh Barr. When the Bear Cubs missed the second of two free throws with six seconds left, the Wolverines, who were out of timeouts, rebounded and pushed the ball towards their half of the court. Ciarah Michalik intercepted the pass and cradled the ball as the buzzer sounded. The Bear Cubs survived the Wolverines' comeback efforts to escape with a 64-62 win.
The Bear Cubs made 5 out of 13 shots (38%) in the first quarter, 8 out of 13 (62%) in the second, 8 out of 17 (47%) in the third, but only 2 out of 12 (17%) in the fourth. The Bear Cubs' five turnovers and poor shooting in the fourth quarter made it possible for the Wolverines to outscore them 16-6 and nearly catch up. Four Sierra players scored in double figures: Julianne Cotterill 18, Julianna Chavez 13, Alyssa Premo 12, and Christiane Carlisle 10.
Four Bear Cubs scored in double figures. Ciarah Michalik and Lanie Lincoln each totaled 15 points. Lucca Lowenberg, who was face guarded most of the game, only got off 7 shots but made 5 of them, including 2 out of 3 from beyond the arc, plus 2 out of 2 free throws for 14 points. Ashleigh Barr posted her eighth double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds. Sheriene Arikat added 6 points, Rose Nevin 2, and Meredith Gilbertson 2. The Bear Cubs totaled only 12 assists with Ciarah Michalik, Lanie Lincoln, and Ashleigh Barr each making 3 of them. Ciarah Michalik made 4 steals, and Alex Ditizio