(Fullerton, CA) Trailing by 12 points at halftime and by four at the end of three, Mt. SAC (11-4) staged a fourth-quarter comeback to top Cerritos, 60-57, in the semifinal round of the Colleen Riley Holiday Invitational at Fullerton College on Friday.

Down 37-25 at the half, the Mounties opened the third quarter on a 12-2 run to pull within two, 39-37, on a pair of free throws by Natalia Shpegel at the 5:03 mark. Cerritos (10-6) opened the gap back up to four by the close of the period, 49-45.

Aujanae Mayes gave Mt. SAC the lead, 52-51, on a layup with 7:26 left to play. The Falcons knotted the score at 54 on a three-pointer at the 5:50 mark. Trailing 57-56 late in the quarter, Alexis Sanchez made a steal and layup to put the Mounties up for good, 58-57, with 1:56 left on the clock. Sanchez added two more free throws down the stretch to seal the victory, 60-57.

Mayes led the Mounties with 17 points off the bench and had six steals on the night. Teammates Tiana Douglas and Jade Hughes added 12 and 10 points, respectively, to round out the team's double-digit scorers. Sanchez finished with eight points.

Shpegel led Mt. SAC with seven rebounds while Douglas and Hughes grabbed six each.

Jesenia Rendon was Cerritos' leading scorer with 17 points and teammate Sarah Hernandez led all players with 11 rebounds.

Winners of three straight and five of their last six, the Mounties will face host Fullerton (8-5) for the tournament championship on Saturday, Dec. 29, at 6 p.m.

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For additional information, please contact the Mt. SAC Sports Information Office at 909.274.4630.