Posted: Feb 27, 2013
Tigers’ Season Ends with 63-55 Playoff Loss at Home to L.A. Pierce
LA Pierce
(17-12, South #17)
63
Riverside
(16-13, South #16)
55
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
LA Pierce (17-12, South #17) | 24 | 39 | 63 |
|
Riverside (16-13, South #16) | 33 | 22 | 55 |
RIVERSIDE – Going scoreless for nearly five minutes midway through the second half proved to be the undoing for the host Riverside City College (RCC) Tigers women's basketball team as the visiting Los Angeles Pierce College Brahmas came from behind to win, 63-55, in the play-in round of the Southern California Regional playoffs Wednesday evening at Wheelock Gymnasium.
L.A. Pierce (17-12, South No. 17 seed) trailed at halftime, 33-24, and faced its biggest deficit, 35-24, with 19:06 remaining. But Riverside (16-13, South No. 16 seed) went scoreless for 4:50 and saw the Brahmas regain the lead at 43-42 with 8:34 to play.
Down the stretch, L.A. Pierce continued to keep the Tigers at bay. RCC closed to within 57-55 with 1:24 to play on a free throw by sophomore guard Neka Hunter (Riverside / Polytechnic HS), but couldn't come up with a stop on defense and the Brahmas made six free throws in the remaining moments to conclude the scoring and the Tigers' season.
All five LAPC starters played at least 30 minutes. Sophomore C Kameron Jones (Long Beach Poly HS) lead with a game-high 17 points and a whopping 15 rebounds in 30 minutes. Freshman F Gasia Sarkis (Karen Jeppe Gemaran School) added ten points and a game-high 17 rebounds in 35 minutes. Sophomore F Joy Hubbard (Taft HS) added 13 points in 35 minutes and freshman G Zenith Hernandez (Cleveland HS) also came up with 13 points, but in 32 minutes.
Freshman forward Kayla Johns (Moreno Valley HS) led RCC with 11 points and a team-high 12 rebounds (nine defensive) in 34 minutes. Hunter finished with five points, a game-high nine assists, and seven rebounds.
With the win, L.A. Pierce will travel to Walnut on Saturday, March 2, when it faces undefeated and No. 1 seed Mt. San Antonio (29-0) in a 5:30 p.m. game.