Pirates pull out OT win over Tigers
COSTA MESA -- The game-tying buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Ashley Engeln will be the key memory from Friday night's overtime win for the Orange Coast College women's basketball team, but it took a total team effort for the Pirates to pull out the 70-64 victory over the gritty Riverside College Tigers.
Playing with just seven players due to an early-season dismissal of several players, Riverside (7-14, 1-4) led for most of the game before the Pirates (10-12, 2-3) finally found some team-wide intensity on both sides of the floor.
Trailing by as many as 13 points (40-27 with 16 minutes remaining), the Pirates turned things around and slowly began to narrow the gap against the tiring Tigers. A 15-4 Coast run cut the deficit down to just two with just under 8 minutes left to play.
Strong play by the Pirate trio of Engeln (game-high 20 points), Jalecia Wilson (eight points, 10 rebounds off of the bench) and Megan Hanson (12 points, eight assists) helped spark the second-half comeback.
However, the comeback seemed for naught as Tigers forward Heather Wohlk (team-best 16 points) hit a running jumper in the key with 25 seconds left, putting Riverside up 59-56. A missed jumper and OCC foul sent Tiger forward Christine Pascua to the line, but she missed both free throws, giving the Pirates one final chance to tie the game.
Hanson drove up the floor with nine seconds left and found Engeln at the arc. The sophomore guard let it fly just as the buzzer sound and found nothing but net, sending the game into overtime. It was the third straight OCC-Riverside game inside the Peterson Gym that went to overtime on a buzzer-beater by the Pirates.
And, just like the previous two, the Pirates would take full advantage of their opportunity. Jordyn Terukina opened the OT with a 3-pointer, giving the Pirates a lead they would not lose the rest of the way.
OCC's Jenna Arnett added 13 points and six rebounds in the victory.
For the Tigers, other standout efforts came from Rikki Frohmader (14 points, 11 rebounds) and Dreanna Underwood (15 points, nine rebounds).
OCC will continue conference play at Cypress College on Wednesday (7:30 p.m.) before hosting Fullerton College on Friday (5:30 p.m.).
