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SRJC 55, College of San Mateo 47
Friday afternoon the Bear Cubs (5-2) hosted the College of San Mateo Bulldogs (5-5). The Bear Cubs made six out of their first nine shots, with Kaia Eubanks and Ivy Gonzalez each putting in three, to jump out to a 12-0 lead during the opening five minutes. Marie Palu got the Bulldogs on the scoreboard with a field goal at the 3:49 mark. Chozen Horn-Young added a basket 28 seconds after that. The Bear Cubs added four more points on Hailey Webb's drive and Cece Solano's 15-footer. Horn-Young's 3-pointer completed the scoring in the period, as the Bear Cubs ended up in front 16-7.
After two scoreless minutes in the second quarter, Chozen Horn-Young drew a shooting foul and made both free throws. Twenty seconds later Ivy Gonzalez scored the Bear Cubs' first basket on a 6-footer. Neither team was able to score again until Kaia Eubanks hit a 14-footer off of Ivy Gonzalez's assist at the 4:14 mark. After about a minute, center Andria Trierwiler dropped in a close shot. With 1:33 left Marie Palu sank two free throws, to close to 13-20. The Bear Cubs ended the quarter with Sydney Martin's 20-footer and Gonzalez's 3-pointer to widen their lead to 25-13.
The Bulldogs scored first in the third quarter on a putback by Heaven Payton. Then Ivy Gonzalez banked in a fast break layup. Following Jill David's basket, Kaia Eubanks banked in a 2-footer on a baseline inbounds pass from Lindsey Arellano. Bree Hodge's field goal at the 5:58 mark made their deficit 19-29. Eubanks sank two free throws and Arellano a 3-pointer. Simone Murray swished a 3-pointer and then so did Hailey Webb. With 1:39 left Caitlin Baldwin grabbed an offensive rebound on the right side of the basket and flipped the ball back over her head from the left side, getting the Bear Cubs to 39-22. The Bulldogs finished the quarter with a 7-0 run on a 3-pointer, a field goal, and two free throws, cutting the Bear Cubs' lead to 39-29.
Kaia Eubanks dropped in a shot from the middle of the key after catching Abby Tacla's lob pass from the top 55 seconds into the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs put in two field goals in a row before Ivy Gonzalez's 8-foot pullup jumper at the 6:39 mark. The Bulldogs added a free throw and a field goal by the midpoint of the period. With 3:32 on the clock, Ivy Gonzalez drew a shooting foul and made one free throw. On the Bear Cubs' next possession, Lindsey Arellano banked in a fast break layup off of Gonzalez's assist for a 46-36 lead. Simone Murray scored on a putback, and then Kaia Eubanks converted Lindsey Arellano's press-breaking pass into a layup. Murray then drained a 3-pointer to close the gap to 41-48. Gonzalez dropped in a 2-footer off of Arellano's assist with 1:07 left. Jill David swished another 3-pointer 18 seconds after that, making the score 44-50. With the Bulldogs forced to foul, Gonzalez made three out of four free throws on two consecutive trips to the line. Murray drained one last 3-pointer with 10 seconds to go. Cele Urzua was fouled after catching the inbounds pass and sank both free throws, putting the final score at 55-47.
The Bear Cubs' hot start proved the difference, as the Bulldogs outscored them by two points in each of the final two quarters. The Bear Cubs committed 24 turnovers, which limited their opportunities to score. They attempted 49 shots while the Bulldogs took 72. Their defense was good enough to prevent their opponents from getting good shots at the basket. The Bulldogs pulled down 20 offensive rebounds and scored on five of the second chances. The Bear Cubs only grabbed 8 offensive rebounds that resulted in seven points. Three Bulldogs reached double figures in scoring: Chozen Horn-Young with 12, Simone Murray 11, and Jill David 10.
Two Bear Cubs recorded double-doubles: Ivy Gonzalez her third with 21 points and 13 rebounds, and Kaia Eubanks her second with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Lindsey Arellano and Hailey Webb each scored 5 points. Cele Urzua, Caitlin Baldwin, Sydney Martin, and Cece Solano each added 2 points. Lindsey Arellano passed for 5 assists. Lindsey Arellano and Ivy Gonzalez each made 3 steals.