Pirates fall to Golden West

Natalie Venegas

With one game remaining in the regular season, the Orange Coast

College women’s basketball team fell to host Golden West, 77-73, in

an Orange Empire Conference game on Wednesday.

The Pirates (6-7, 16-12 overall) started out with a bang against

their district rival, using quick ball movement to create open shots.

In the first five minutes of play, OCC outscored the Rustlers, 13-2.

The Pirates kept the lead the entire first half with forward Lauren

Stepanski scoring 11 of her 20 points early on.

With 3:56 remaining in the half, OCC’s Christen D’Alessandro hit

her second straight three-pointer, giving OCC a 32-22 lead and

forcing a Golden West timeout. The Rustlers (6-7, 8-16) responded

with a surge of their own, pulling to within 32-27. The Pirates took

a 38-31 halftime lead.

The Rustlers came back strong in the second half, tying the score

at 49 with 13:40 remaining. Rustlers guard Evelyn Gomez made 12 of

her game-high 25 points to go along with her 12 rebounds and five

assists in the last 13 minutes of the game.

With 7:40 left, the Rustlers took the lead, 59-57, on a Gomez

basket and never looked back.

D’Alessandro’s hit a crucial three-pointer with 15 seconds left to

bring OCC within 76-73, but it wasn’t enough when Gomez hit one of

two free throws to put the Rustlers up by four.

“We didn’t step up to the challenge, especially in the second

half,” OCC assistant coach Jaime Croy said. “We weren’t making any

shots or doing anything defensively.”

D’Alessandro ended the game with 20 points and five rebounds, and

Stepanski had 20 points and 11 rebounds.

Rustler forward and former Estancia standout Tisha Gray, who ended

with 17 points and nine rebounds, said, “I think some of us were

nervous in the first half, but in the second half everybody stepped

it up, and we all adjusted to how they were playing.”

OCC will return to host Irvine Valley in their final Orange Empire

Conference game on Friday at 5:30.

Orange Empire Conference

Golden West 77,

Orange Coast 73,

Orange Coast -- D’Alessandro 20, Stepanski 20, Naff 13, McCormick

11, Katayama 9.

3-pt. goals -- D’Alessandro 6, Katayama 1, McCormick 1.

Golden West -- Gomez 25, Gray 17, Orozco 14, Smallwood 3, D’agostin 3, Hachiya 2, Schoppert 2, Fa’agi, 0.

3-pt. goals -- Orozco 2, Choy 2, Gomez 2, Smallwood 1, Gray 1.

Halftime -- Coast, 38-31.