Pirates tagged by Lasers, 61-51
COSTA MESA -- The Orange Coast College women's basketball team ran into a tough all-around club in Irvine Valley on Wednesday night and the end result was a 61-51 loss to the visiting Lasers inside OCC's Peterson Gym.
Michelle Angel led the Pirates (11-14, 2-7 in Orange Empire Conference) with 14 points and seven rebounds, but the rest of the team struggled from the floor, hitting just 14-of-45 from the floor (31.1 percent). Dayanara Armenta and Brittany Ballard each added nine points for Coast.
For the Lasers, Shomari McCorkle led the way with 16 points, five rebounds and five assists, while teammate Amber Wharton chipped in 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
The turning point in the game came early in the second half. After a Caitlin Bunting 3-pointer brought Coast to within four at 30-26, Irvine Valley turned up the defensive pressure and ripped off a 19-5 run to grab control of the game for good.
Seven of those points came on three straight possessions for the Lasers off of back-to-back backcourt turnovers by the Pirates.
Two free throws and a layup by McCorkle was followed by a Wharton 3-pointer, blowing the game wide open. Coast would not get to within double digits of the Lasers the rest of the way.
The Pirates will return to action on Friday at Santa Ana College, beginning at 7:30 p.m. OCC's next home game will be on Wednesday, Feb. 20 against Cypress, also at 7:30 p.m.
