Cuesta opened the second half on a 14-6 run Saturday night and went on to beat SBCC 69-56 in a WSC North game in San Luis Obispo.
Miriam Zabinsky had 25 points and 15 rebounds for the Cougars (18-3, 3-1), who are ranked No. 7 in Southern Cal and 13th in the state.
Jasmine Mata topped the Vaqueros (9-8, 1-2) with 13 points. Mhiah Vickers added 10 points, Sheryl Scheppele had eight and Elia Salazar contributed six points and seven rebounds.
Cuesta outshot the Vaqueros 41 to 36 percent and also won in rebounds by a 42-35 count. Neither team shot well from the foul line but Cuesta (17-31) enjoyed a +7 advantage over Santa Barbara (10-17).
The Cougars took an early 9-3 advantage and led 27-21 at halftime. The 14-6 run gave Cuesta a 17-point cushion (41-24) with 12 minutes to play.
"We played hard," said coach Sandrine Krul. "We're just struggling on offense right now."
SBCC hosts No. 2 Ventura (18-3, 3-0), the only unbeaten team in the WSC North, on Wednesday at 5 p.m.
