Strong Shot Selection Leads Tigers Past Santa Barbara in “Earning Our Stripes” Opening Game

It was all Riverside from the get go as the women's basketball team played host to the Santa Barbara City College Vaqueros in the eighth annual "Earning Our Stripes" Tournament. The Tigers were electric from the floor as they jumped out to an early 18-point lead and never looked back.

RCC shot a season-high 44.6 percent from the floor leading to 40 points in the paint. Both teams shot poorly from the charity stripe with Riverside flushing only 60 percent of their allotted attempts. Furthermore, both teams crashed the boards well as there were limited second chance opportunities.

Leading the charge was sophomore Neveah Manning who finished with 14 points and was two rebounds away from a double double. She went 7-for-10 from the floor to mark her second-straight game in double figures.

Freshman guard Makayla Roberts tallied her first-career double double after racking up 10 rebounds and draining 10 points. She hit one three pointer that shifted the momentum back to Riverside after Santa Barbara sparked a mini run late in the game. Additionally, she led her team with four assists and chipped in three rebounds.

The bench was effective throughout the entire night with freshman duo N'Dya Parks and Janara Williams combining for an even 20 points. They both accounted for 10 points each in a combined 43 minutes of play.

Riverside advances into the winners bracket and will play Cerritos on Friday at 7 p.m.