Tigers Take Third Place in Inaugural Earning Our Stripes Tournament

RIVERSIDE -- Putting together a tremendous run midway through the second half, the host Riverside City College (RCC) Tigers women's basketball team defeated the Barstow College Vikings, 61-51, to capture third place Sunday afternoon (Nov. 8) in RCC's inaugural Earning Our Stripes Tournament at RCC's historic Arthur N. Wheelock Gymnasium.

Riverside (2-1 overall) trailed, 28-22, with 18:51 to play in the second half and then engineered a 22-1 run over a span of 9:35 to turn the game around with a 44-29 lead with 9:16 left.

The Tigers played a forgettable first half, shooting only 16.7% (four of 24), including zero for six on three-point attempts, along with 19 turnovers.

But in the second half, sophomore guard Tamara Herring (Riverside / Citrus Hill '13) ignited the rally with a three-pointer which gave RCC a 31-28 lead. After a fastbreak layin and a rebound layin from frosh guard Jordan Lofton (Riverside / M.L. King HS), Herring capped the run with a pair of free throws.

Lofton tossed in a game-high 16 points and was accorded all-tournament honors. Herring added 13 points. Sophomore center Tori Mitchell (Riverside / Poly '12) added 12 points and a game-high 21 rebounds.

Frosh guard Jaylan Johnson (Las Vegas, NV / Shadow Ridge HS) led the Vikings (1-2 overall) with 13 points.

In the championship game, frosh guard Tyler Quinn (Bishop Montgomery HS) drained a three-pointer with 41 seconds remaining to lift the El Camino College (ECC) Warriors (3-0 overall) to a 67-62 win over the Cypress College Chargers (2-1 overall). (The mighty) Quinn connected to give ECC a 63-62 lead.

Tournament MVP, sophomore forward Sydney Chase (West Torrance HS), led ECC with a game-high 22 points. Sophomore guard Nisja Bass (Mayfair HS) also received all-tournament honors.

Frosh guard Vivian Lara (Los Alamitos HS) came off the bench to pace Cypress with 16 points. Sophomore guards Lauren Hong (Lakewood / St. Joseph HS) and DeShields Fajardo (Cerritos HS) were both named to the all-tournament team.

In the consolation championship game (fifth place), the Cerritos College Falcons (2-1 overall)overcame a flat tire en route to the gymnasium and nursed a 24-22 halftime advantage into a 57-40 win over the Grossmont College Griffins (1-2 overall).

Frosh guard Sydney Lopez (Whittier Christian HS) led the Falcons with 11 points. Sophomore guard Shonnell Hoyt (St. Anthony HS) was named to the all-tournament team.

Sophomore guard Kayla Rivera (Eastlake HS) led the Griffins with 16 points.

For Riverside, the Tigers return to action on Saturday, Nov. 15, when they host the MiraCosta College Spartans in a non-conference game at 2 p.m. (Please note the time change from 5 p.m.)

***

Inaugural Earning Our Stripes All-Tournament Team:

El Camino: Sydney Chase (MVP), Nisja Bass,

Cypress: Lauren Hong, DeShields Fajardo,

Riverside: Jordan Lofton,

Cerritos: Shonnell Hoyt

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