Coast cruises in conference opener
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Riverside (6-11, 0-1) | 12 | 12 | 7 | 17 | 48 |
|
Orange Coast (13-4, 1-0) | 20 | 21 | 34 | 11 | 86 |
COSTA MESA -- The Orange Coast College women's basketball team began Orange Empire Conference play on the right foot, cruising to an 86-48 win over visiting Riverside City College on Wednesday night inside OCC's Peterson Gym.
The Pirates (13-4 overall, 1-0 in the OEC) -- the three-time defending OEC champs -- wasted no time against the Tigers (6-11, 0-1), jumping out early and never looking back. The grew to as many as 53 points early in the fourth quarter as the OCC defense turned up the heat in the second half and forced 37 RCC turnovers for the game.
Melaiah Joseph came out strong and finished with 22 points. McKenzie Gillman added 16 points and four steals for the Pirates, while Andrea Rico tossed in 11 points to go along with five rebounds and three assists. Skyy Simmons led RCC with 18 points.
Coast led by 17 at the break (41-24) before dominating Riverside in the third quarter, outscoring the Tigers, 34-7 over that 10-minute span. Thanks to 11-of-20 shooting from the field and 10-of-12 shooting from the free-throw line. OCC had more point-scorers (eight) than the Tigers had points (seven).
RCC's 37 turnovers were converted into 39 points for the Pirates. Also, in the paint, OCC outscored the Tigers, 44-28.
The conference play continues for the Pirates as they host Santa Ana on Friday, beginning at 7 p.m.
