Pirates grind their way to 54-48 win over Dons
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Santa Ana (12-5, 0-1) | 9 | 8 | 15 | 16 | 48 |
|
Orange Coast (14-4, 2-0) | 13 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 64 |
COSTA MESA -- The Orange Coast College women's basketball team put on their working hats and earned a hard-fought 64-48 win over visiting Santa Ana College on Friday night inside the Peterson Gym.
Melaiah Joseph led the offense for the Pirates (14-4, 2-0 in the Orange Empire Conference) with 19 points to go along with five rebounds and four steals. Andrea Rico chipped in 16 points and five boards, while Lexi Mercado came off the bench for 10 points.
The depth of the Pirates proved crucial as the fouls began to mount for both sides in this physical matchup. Reserve posts Karley Waite and Sydney Sloan combined for 15 rebounds and did a great job of slowing down SAC's best player, sophomore forward Anaya Beard, who still finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Kiki Graham led the Dons (12-5, 0-1) with 18 points, while Vicki Om added 12.
Playing a Dons squad that averaged over 70 points per game through their first 18 games of the season, the Pirate defense clamped down and held SAC to just 17 first-half points, while the Pirates pushed out to a 14-point advantage (31-17).
Santa Ana, which trailed by 20 points early in the fourth quarter (54-34), found some momentum and pulled to within nine at 54-45 following a made 3-pointer from Graham.
But Coast responded with a made layup by Rico and a clutch 3-pointer by Joseph and the nine-point margin grew back up to 15 and the lead was safe the rest of the way.
OCC was solid from the free-throw line, hitting 16-of-20 for the night, while the Dons struggled to the tune of 11-of-24 from the charity stripe.
Further illustrating the Pirates' depth ... OCC's bench outscored the SAC reserves, 17-0.
The Pirates will return to action on Wednesday at Cypress College, beginning at 7 p.m. OCC's next home game will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 21 against Irvine Valley, also at 7 p.m.
