Playing a strong first half where the Cerritos College women's basketball team was locked in a tie at intermission against visiting MiraCosta College, the second half was not as kind in a 51-43 loss on Friday. The setback was the fifth in a row for the Falcons (3-7), who will enter the Fullerton Tournament and face Porterville College on Thursday in the first of three games.

Trailing 15-10 after the first quarter and then 21-14 in the second quarter, the Falcons received a three-pointer from freshman Genesis Salinas (Downey HS), followed by baskets from freshman Lauryn Nakamura (Cypress HS) and sophomore Jayden Estrada (Anaheim HS) to tie the game at 21-21. Five consecutive points from Nakamura ran the scoring run to 12 in a row and a 26-21 advantage with 4:19 left in the first half. A last-second three-pointer by the Spartans tied the game at intermission.

Six more points in a row to start the second quarter put the Spartans in from 34-28 before Cerritos scored. As a team, they were limited to just eight points in the quarter, with Nakamura knocking down a three-pointer with 19 seconds left to get the team to within 40-36 heading into the final 10 minutes. A jumper from sophomore Francine Carrillo (Cerritos HS) with 6:24 left pulled the team to 43-40, which would be the closest Cerritos would get the remainder of the game.

Nakamura led the team with 17 points and added seven rebounds, with Carrillo producing 10 points and four rebounds. Salinas added nine points, six rebounds and six assists, while freshman Jazzmine Briggs (Lakewood HS) led the team with nine rebounds.

Photos by Daryl Peterson