Pirates settle for second in OEC after falling to Tigers
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Orange Coast (18-10, 9-3 OEC) | 23 | 28 | 51 |
|
Riverside (7-19, 2-10 OEC) | 27 | 26 | 53 |
RIVERSIDE -- The Wheelock Gym is never an easy place to play and the Orange Coast College women's basketball found that out the hard way as the Pirates fell to Riverside City College, 53-51, on Friday night in the Orange Empire Conference finale for both teams.
The loss not only snapped the Pirates' impressive eight-game win streak, it also dropped Coast into second place behind OEC-champion Saddleback, who topped Fullerton, 53-35, to win the title outright.
Chanelle DiCroce led Coast (18-10, 9-3 OEC) with 22 points and seven rebounds, while Jasmine Matar added 10 points and eight rebounds.
It was a rough night of shooting for the Pirates, as they went 16-of-59 from the floor.
Ryan Robinson led the Tigers (7-19, 2-10) with 14 points.
With 7:39 left in the game, a basket by Raechelle Davis put OCC in front, 40-38, but the Tigers responded with seven straight over the next two minutes to go out in front, 45-40.
Both teams traded points the rest of the way. A layup by Matar with 36 seconds left tied the game at 51, but with 19 seconds left, Mikayla Stitt nailed a pair of free throws to put RCC back out in front.
DiCroce put up a 3-point attempt with two seconds left, but her shot missed the mark, giving the Tigers the upset win.
Playoff seedings will be announced Monday.
