Fourth-quarter surge leads Pirates past Gauchos

MISSION VIEJO -- The Orange Coast College women's basketball used strong fourth-quarter play on both sides of the ball to pick up a 56-51 win over Saddleback College, handing the first-place Gauchos their first Orange Empire Conference loss of the season.

Trailing 45-40 heading into the fourth quarter, the Pirates (16-9, 4-3 in OEC) outscored the Gauchos (19-6, 6-1) by 10 to pull off the upset win.

Michelle Wu led Coast with 16 points, while Sydney Driggs added 13. Chyann Pendergrass overcame a chilly shooting to night and provided a solid all-around game with six points, six rebounds, nine assists and three steals.

For the Gauchos, Janae Omusi had 19 points and 11 rebounds, while Laura Tapia added 13. Usually-reliable Kiazha Ginwright was held to just six points on 2-of-12 shooting.

Coast led 18-11 late in the first quarter before the Gauchos went on an 18-0 run to grab a 29-18 advantage. OCC went nearly seven minutes without a point before a Wu layup snapped the drought, however, the Pirates still trailed by eight (33-25) at the break.

The defense picked up for the Pirates as they began to chip into the deficit. After a Pendergrass 3-pointer tied the game at 49, Omusi made a pair of free throws with 4:41 left to put Saddleback back in front, 51-49. Those would be the last points by the hosts for the rest of the game.

Finally, with 2:30 remaining, a 3-pointer by Driggs put OCC ahead, 52-51 and from there, a made jumper by Danielle Obong and a pair of Wu free throws iced the game for the Pirates. 

Saddleback was held to just two shot attempts (both were missed) and four turnovers over its final six possessions.

With the win, the Pirates are just two games behind Saddleback and Cypress for first place in the Orange Empire Conference, with Riverside (3-3) just a half-game behind Coast.

The Pirates will return to the Peterson Gym on Wednesday night to host Riverside City College, beginning at 7 p.m.