Pirates improve to 8-0 with gritty win over Antelope Valley

COSTA MESA -- No player on the Orange Coast College women's basketball roster was alive the last time the Pirates opened the season 8-0, but it has now happened to this year's Pirates, courtesy of a hard-fought 76-72 win over visiting Antelope Valley on Saturday at the OCC Crossover.

Meghan McIntyre had 22 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the unbeaten Pirates (8-0), winners of their first eight games for the first time since the 1998-99 Pirates began the season 10-0. Karina Cabrera added 17 points, while Annie Trinh came up with some big points late and finished with 13 points. Gabby Samiy came through on the boards with a team-best 11 rebounds, while Ashlee Dorantes made the most of her 23 minutes on the floor with five points and nine points off the bench.

For the Marauders (4-4), Kristen Lopez led the way with 16 points and seven rebounds, while Mircle Jackson added 13 points and five boards. Bailey Cassell also had 13 points and dished out five assists.

It didn't appear that things would be rough for the Pirates early on as they jumped out to a 26-10 lead after the first quarter, the Coast defense forced five AVC turnovers in that span and held the guests to just 4-of-14 shooting from the floor and 1-of-6 from 3-point range. 

It was an ENTIRELY different story in the second quarter as the Marauders found their shooting stroke and outscored OCC 26-8 over that span and carried a 36-34 lead into the locker room. Coast shot an icy 4-of-18 from the floor in the second, including 0-for-9 from the beyond the arc.

Both teams went back and forth in the third and the Marauders carried a four-point lead into the final quarter, leading 57-53. That lead grew to as many as seven (64-57), when the Pirates made one final push and turned to be the difference in the game. An 18-3 run by the Pirates, sparked by three-pointers from Cabrera and Trinh and steady offense from McIntyre, helped push OCC ahead for good, leading 75-67 with under 2 minutes left to play. 

AVC tried a last-minute comeback when a 3-pointer by A'Lawra Miller and a basket in the post by Courtney Hart pulled AVC to within three at 75-72. But with two seconds left, Dorantes was fouled down low and the sophomore post player made 1-of-2 from the line to put the game out of reach.

Coast will look to keep its winning streak alive on Sunday with a road game against Citrus College (played at Cypress College), beginning at 5 p.m. OCC's next home game will be on Wednesday against San Diego City, beginning at 5 p.m.