Coming off an eight-day hiatus, the Cerritos College women's basketball team entered the Allan Hancock Tournament for three games in as many days. The Falcons had a rough go, as the dropped games against Folsom Lake College (75-16), Fresno City College (64-44) and the host Bulldogs (59-53). Cerritos (3-6) returns home on Friday at 5:00 p.m. against MiraCosta College.

 

Cerritos vs. Folsom Lake: In a game where the Falcons could never get their game going, they fell behind early and did not recover. They tried to score three points at a time, but converted just 1-of-17, while Folsom Lake knocked down 15 three-pointers. Freshman Lauryn Nakamura (Cypress HS) scored six of the team's points, while freshman Jazzmin Briggs (Lakewood HS) pulled down six offensive rebounds. 

Cerritos vs. Fresno City: An 18-17 first quarter lead against the Rams, and 23-19 second quarter advantage disappeared when the Falcons went 5:50 without scoring. Freshman Natalie Poppin (La Serna HS) connected on a three-pointer to give Cerritos the four-point lead, but saw the Rams go on an 11-0 run during that time. Down by seven (35-28) at intermission, the Falcons fell behind by double-figures in the second half and suffered the loss. Sophomore Jayden Estrada (Anaheim HS) led the team with 10 points, while Nakamura recorded nine points. The trio of Briggs, sophomore Francine Carrillo (Cerritos HS) and Salma Garcia (Downey HS) each added six points, while Briggs pulled down 10 rebounds.

Cerritos vs. Allan Hancock: Looking for a chance to salvage a game at the tournament, the Falcons came up short, 57-50 against the host Bulldogs. Playing a tough game, Cerritos was down just 23-21 at intermission. They fell behind by seven (30-23) until a three-point play from Poppin drew them closer. It was a 13-point deficit (44-31) early in the fourth quarter until the Falcons made their move. Nine consecutive points over a span of 4:30, with freshman Genesis Salinas (Downey HS) accounting for five of those points. As close as three points at 53-50 after a Garcia three-pointer with 1:07 remaining, Allan Hancock converted their final six free throws to close out the game. Salinas led the team with 15 points and five rebounds, with Estrada accounting for 13 points.