Fourth Quarter Rally Pushes Tigers to Victory Over Orange Coast

It was a nail biter for the Riverside City College women's basketball team on Wednesday night as they hit the road to take on the Orange Coast College Pirates in Orange Empire Conference (OEC) action. The Pirates looked to snap a 12-game losing streak in their closest contest this season, but Riverside had a different set of blueprints as they relied on clutch shooting down the stretch leading to a 79-76 victory.

Despite the Tigers falling behind by 10 points early in the third quarter, they continued to chip away at the deficit highlighted by an 11-2 run right before the end of the third quarter. It was the hot hand of sophomore guard Adriana Garcia that pulled the Tigers from the trenches. In the span, she flushed two shots from beyond the arc backed by a three pointer from freshman guard Vanessa Vargas.

Riverside still faced a four-point deficit entering into the final frame despite the crucial burst of offense. Garcia pulled the Tigers within one point of the lead with another three pointer, backed by a triple from freshman guard Dyani Brewer to maintain the deficit on the following possession.

Sophomore forward Dayna Dewitt made an impact on the defensive end on the following possession by recording a steal and assisting on a jumper from Garcia. She later charted a layup to give Riverside the lead at 57-55 with eight minutes remaining.

Both teams traded blows through the ensuing minutes of the fourth quarter, but a 6-2 run in the final two minutes handed Riverside a large enough advantage to put the game away in their favor by the final score of 79-76.

Garcia recorded a career-high 21 points highlighted by a 5-for-9 showing from distance. Dewitt was a rebound shy of a double-double as she drained 18 points and hauled in nine boards. Freshman guard Trinity Vasquez chipped in 16 points and dished out a game-high six assists.

The Tiger's benched outscored the Pirate's bench 24-0. Freshman center Keyniya Breckenridge, Brewer and Vargas all combined for 22 points wither Brewer leading the brigade with 10 points.

Riverside (6-8, 2-1 OEC) will continue action on Friday, January 18 in a conference showdown against the Irvine Valley College Lasers at home at 7 p.m.