Pirates advance with playoff win over Cuesta
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Orange Coast (,) | 35 | 26 | 61 |
|
Cuesta (,) | 27 | 31 | 58 |
SAN LUIS OBISPO -- It was a long drive up and a happy drive home for the Orange Coast College women's basketball team following Friday night's 61-58 win over Cuesta College in the opening round of the Southern California Regional playoffs.
With the win, the ninth-seeded Pirates (19-10) will play the winner of Saturday night's playoff matchup between Santa Ana and top-seeded Ventura on Wednesday night.
Jasmine Matar led the Pirates with 18 points, while Kelsey Dalton added 14 off of the bench. Dayanara Armenta contributed 13 points and Chanelle DiCroce notched a double-double with 10 points and a team-best 13 rebounds.
For the eighth-seeded Cougars (22-8), Jerrica Crosby and Ashley Gamber each had 12 points, while Katie Rodriguez added 11.
A solid first half of play put OCC ahead 35-27 at the half and Coast's lead grew to as many as 13 midway through the second half before the host Cougars made their move. Trailing by three in the final seconds, Cuesta managed to get off a potential game-typing 3-point attempt at the buzzer, but the shot rimmed out, keeping the Pirates' season alive.
Dalton, who entered Friday night's game averaging just under six points per game, drained three 3-pointers on her way to her 14-point performance. It was her seventh double-point performance of the season, but just her second since Dec. 18.
While Dalton found some offensive success, Cuesta's home gym was not kind to the host Cougars, who shot 37.7% from the floor (23-of-61) and just 2-of-20 from 3-point land.
