Women’s Basketball Routs Chaffey in Season Opener

Wheelock Gymnasium had not season any live basketball action since early 2020. The last women's basketball game that was played on the campus of Riverside City College was in Wednesday, February 26 in the first round of the 2019-20 CCCAA Southern Regional Round One. The wait was finally over and the Tigers picked up just where they left off.

Riverside hosted the Chaffey College Panthers in the first contest of the 2021-22 season. With a roster that is filled with new faces, the Tigers dominated on both ends of the court leading to a commanding 84-53 victory.

RCC defeated Chaffey in all aspects of the game. They shot 43.8 percent from the floor which encompassed a 28.6 percent clip from beyond the arc. Furthermore, the Tigers dominated the boards by reeling in 57 rebounds to Chaffey's 33 and turned the ball over seven times less than the Panthers.

Offense was not scarce for the Tigers as they nearly scored 20 or more points in each quarter. The fourth frame was the Tigers lowest output at 18 points, but still topped Chaffey's quarter-best 17 points that came in the first half.

Nine of the Tiger's 10 players made their intercollegiate debuts with freshman Ayanna Bourgeois leading the charge on offensive. She came off the bench to score a team-high 16 points and went 8-for-9 from the floor. In addition, she made an impact on the defensive end as seen in three blocks and two steals.

Freshman Maxine Najera recorded a double-double in her first-career start by dropping 13 points and hauling in 12 rebounds. She also served the floor for four assists and pocketed two steals. Freshman Neiya Hamilton was trigger happy by leading the team in attempts with 19 which lead to 16 points. She added five rebounds, two assists and two steals as well.

Freshman Neveah Manning was three rebounds shy of clocking in a double-double with 11 points and seven rebounds, while freshman Mya Clark was two rebounds and one-point shy of a double-double. She recorded nine points and hauled in eight rebounds.

Riverside will continue action on the road Thursday, November 4 at 5 p.m. They will take on Antelope Valley in a playoff rematch at the Bakersfield Crossover.