Upstart Tigers Defeat Pasadena, Face County Rival Mt. San Jacinto in Final of COD's Winter Classic

PALM DESERT -- It'll be an all-Riverside County matchup in the championship game of the COD Winter Classic at College of the Desert Saturday afternoon (Dec. 20) when the upstart Riverside City College (RCC) Tigers face county rivals, the Mt. San Jacinto College (MSJC) Eagles, in a 4 p.m. tipoff at COD's new gymnasium.

Riverside (10-4 overall) advanced to the title game with a landmark 65-55 win over the Pasadena City College (PCC) Lancers in a semifinal game Friday afternoon. MSJC (9-2) punched its ticket to the championship game with a resounding 79-50 victory over the Mission College Saints.

RCC's win over the Lancers (7-4) snapped a nine-game losing skein against Pasadena which dated to the 1996-97 campaign, a 65-48 win. Thus, Friday's credit sign was the first win for 14-year RCC head women's basketball coach Alicia Berber against Pasadena.

In Friday's game over Pasadena, there were four lead changes in the first four minutes. RCC trailed, 5-4, with 17:08 to play in the opening half before the Tigers went on a 9-0 run over a span of 2:27 for a 13-5 lead with 14:35 left. A rebound and layin by frosh guard Jessica Reed (Villa Park HS) gave RCC its biggest lead at 22-9 with 9:53 to play.

Down the stretch, Pasadena closed to within 51-47 with 10:17 left in the game, but a modest 8-0 run gave RCC a 59-47 advantage with 5:04 left and the Tigers kept the Lancers at bay.

Three Tigers starters scored in double figures, led by sophomore guard Tamara Herring (Citrus Hill HS), who tossed in a game-high 18 points (four three pointers), followed by sophomore guard Tierra Fuqua (Rancho Verde HS) with 17 points and nine rebounds, and sophomore center Tori Mitchell (Riverside Poly HS), who had ten and a game-high 12 rebounds.

For Pasadena, frosh point guard Judith Espinoza (Eagle Rock HS) led the Lancers with 13 points and five assists.

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