Tigers Defeat Cuesta, 71-61, Wednesday; Advance to play No. 1 Mt. San Antonio Saturday

RIVERSIDE -- Getting the maximum out of the minimum, the Riverside City College (RCC) Tigers women's basketball team had all five of its starters score in double digits and held off the visiting No. 17-seeded Cuesta College Cougars, 71-61, Wednesday evening (Feb. 25) in a California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) South Regional first-round playoff game at RCC's legendary Arthur N. Wheelock Gymnasium.

But the Tigers' other First Team All-OEC honoree, sophomore center Tori Mitchell (Riverside / Poly HS), was a force in the middle for RCC. Mitchell finished with ten points, 15 rebounds, four assists and four blocked shots.

Mitchell had 233 defensive rebounds coming into the game, and of the 15 caroms Wednesday night, 11 were defensive which enabled her to set a RCC club record with 244, to eclipse the previous record of 242 set by a then Alicia Rubio during the 1995-96 season. Rubio, whose married name is Berber, has been the Tigers' head coach these last 14 seasons. Mitchell's four blocked shots gives her a total of 48 "rejections", one shy of the RCC record of 49 set by Amber McBride in 1998-99.

Another Tiger who came through was sophomore forward Ashley Davis (Riverside / John W. North HS) who had ten points, but also yanked down a whopping 23 rebounds, including 19 off the defensive glass. The 23 boards tied for seventh-best in a game for RCC, tying the mark set by Debbie Woodward versus Southwestern College during the 1979-80 campaign.

Rounding out the rest of the Tigers' starting five, sophomore guard Tristyn Gates (Riverside / Arlington HS) led RCC with 18 points on six field goals, including four three-point baskets. Gates also added a team-high four steals. Frosh guard Jordan Lofton (Riverside / M.L. King, Jr., HS) popped in 15 points and sophomore guard Tamara Herring (Riverside / Citrus Hills HS) chipped in with 13 points and added nine rebounds.

The Tigers shot well in the first half, thanks to some stellar three-point shooting. RCC was 14 of 30 (46.7%) from the floor, including six of nine (66.7%) from beyond the arc. Late in the first half, RCC broke a 23-23 tie and went on a 16-5 run in the final 4:29 to build a 39-28 halftime lead.

For Cuesta, the South region's No. 17 seed, frosh guard Anika Rovig (Minot, ND / Bishop Ryan HS) led the Cougars with a game-high 21 points. Sophomore forward Ashley Gamber (Sonora / Summerville HS) was next with 17 points and added five steals. Sophomore forward Jerrica Crosby (Durango, CO / Morro Bay HS) had a team-high eight rebounds. Cuesta, which placed second in the Western State Conference-North at 9-3, finished its season at 23-8.

It was the third meeting in the playoffs between the two clubs. RCC also won in 1991, 69-50, and in 2006, 71-38.

Riverside advances to play the South's No 1 seed, the Mt. San Antonio College Mounties (30-0 overall) in Walnut on Saturday, Feb. 28. Game time of a projected doubleheader is tentatively scheduled for 7:30 p.m.