Pirates win 20th straight with 87-66 win over Rustlers

COSTA MESA -- The Orange Coast College women's basketball team used a strong second half on both sides of the floor to pull away from Golden West en route to an 87-66 Orange Empire Conference win on Wednesday night inside the Peterson Gym, propelling the Pirates to their 20th straight win.

Gabby Samiy played one of her best all-around games for the second-ranked Pirates (20-0, 4-0 in the OEC), scoring 29 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Meghan McIntyre starred on both sides of the floor with 22 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists and also clamped down against GWC's top scorer, Vanessa Epperson (19.4 points per game), holding the standout guard to just four points on 1-of-13 shooting.

Savannah Seiler handled a tough matchup against a very tall GWC front court and scored 13 points with eight rebounds, while Annie Trinh was 3-of-4 from 3-point range and finished the night with 11 points.

The Rustlers (12-7, 0-4) pushed the Pirates hard through the first half play as a 38-25 OCC lead shrunk down to just three, thanks to a 15-5 run to close out the second quarter.

That would be as close as the Rustlers would get as OCC held GWC off the scoreboard over the final 3:28 of the third quarter and led 60-49 with 10 minutes remaining.

The Pirates never looked back and used a 23-14 run over the first eight minutes of the fourth quarter to pull away for good. The Rustlers battled all the way to the final whistle, but in spite of stopping the clock with intentional fouls in the final minute, Coast preserved it's 21-point lead for win No. 20 for the campaign.

For the Rustlers, Sheridan Bivens had a monster night with 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting, 5-of-6 from 3-point range, while Fama Diagne used her 6'4" frame for 17 points and 12 rebounds. 

The Pirates are the first team in the State of California to pick up win No. 20. Five other teams -- undefeated Palomar (18-0), Mt. San Jacinto (18-2), Fresno City (18-2), College of the Sequoias (18-2) and Santa Rosa (18-2) are next in line for wins this season behind OCC.

OCC will return to action on Friday at Santa Ana College, beginning at 5 p.m. before a key road matchup at Riverside City College on Wednesday, also at 5 p.m. Coast returns home on Friday, Jan. 27 against Irvine Valley at 5 p.m.