Riverside Rides Strong Paint Play to First Conference Victory
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Golden West (9-4, 0-2) | 18 | 18 | 17 | 9 | 62 |
|
Riverside (7-9, 1-2) | 16 | 16 | 24 | 21 | 77 |
It was a two-point game with just under five minutes remaining. The Golden West College Rustlers owned possession of the ball and had an opportunity to tie the score. The Tigers and the Rustlers were each hunting for their first victory in Orange Empire Conference (OEC) play and the final minutes would be the deciding factor. After the Rustlers failed to tie the game up, Riverside went on a 15-2 run to close out the contest and defeated Golden West, 77-62.
It was a tight game throughout the duration with only two lead changes and one tie, but Golden West was always within striking distance highlighted by a four-point defecit heading into halftime. The Rustlers were money from long range as they shot 29.4 percent with the majority of their sharp shooting coming in the opening three quarters.
However, two double-double performances from freshman duo Mya Clark and Neveah Manning kept the Rustlers at bay.
Manning put together an 18 point, 14 rebound night and inked her sixth double-double of the season despite being in early foul trouble. All of her points came in the second half.
Clark, who averages a double-double, produced just that as she hauled in a game-high 14 rebounds and flushed 12 points. It is her first double-double off the bench and she did so in just 14 minutes of action.
The majority of the Tigers scoring came in the paint highlighted by 48 total points. They shot a measly 7.7 percent from long range, but earned a 39.4 percent mark from the floor in total.
Freshman Maxine Nejera was a multi-faceted weapon as she tallied 12 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals off the bench. Sophomore Regenus Gates returned to action and dropped 10 points and corralled nine boards to entertain a double-double.
