Late-Game Surge Drives Riverside past Santa Ana

The Riverside City College women's basketball team holds a firm grip on third place in the Orange Empire Conference (OEC) standings and looked to stay within championship contention on Wednesday night against the Santa Ana College Dons on the road. After holding a mere one-point advantage at halftime, the Tigers relied on a strong fourth quarter en route to a 73-62 victory.

Riverside did not experience a strong offensive showing, but found other ways to get the job done. They were efficient in paint play on both ends of the floor. They dominated the boards by outrebounding the Dons 56-39. They scored 40 points in the paint and capitalized on second-chance opportunities with 24 points.

The Tigers pulled away in the fourth quarter by stringing together a 9-0 run stretching from under eight minutes remaining in the fourth all the way to under the three-minute mark. In the final stanza, freshman guard Adriana Garcia (Riverside, CA) recorded seven points which included a three ball.

Sophomore forward Joana Adams (Palm Springs, CA) paced the Tiger offense with a 19 point, 12 rebound showing to record a double-double. Freshman forward Dayna Dewitt (Mansfield, CA) and sophomore center Darricka Hewitt (Riverside, CA) followed with double-doubles of their own. Dewitt dropped 14 points and corralled 12 boards, while Hewitt matched her rebound total and flushed 10 points.

Freshman point guard Kimari Hollis (Moreno Valley, CA) notched 11 points and dished out four assists. She also made waves on the defensive end by pocketing a team-high four steals.

The Tigers (16-7, 7-2 OEC) still sit in third place behind Cypress College and No. 8 Irvine Valley. They face off against Cypress (16-7, 8-1 OEC) on Friday, February 2^nd at home at 5 p.m.