Vaqueros Fall Just Short in Back-and-Forth Opener at Santa Ana

SANTA ANA, Calif. – The SBCC women's basketball team led by a point in the final minute of its season-opener on Tuesday night at Santa Ana. However, in the end of what had been a tightly contested affair throughout, it was the Dons who claimed the 11th and final lead change of the night to take a 72-69 win.

After forward Asia Kirven's layup saw the Vaqueros go ahead 69-68 with 48 seconds to go, a wild three-pointer on Santa Ana's next possession from Dylyn Payne put the Dons back up by two. SBCC got one more chance to tie the game with a three-point attempt in the final seconds that missed the mark.

"We played 11 freshmen tonight and I'm really proud of them," head coach Sandrine Krul said. "I'm really happy with how we competed every step of the way."

The young Vaquero squad was led on the night by guard/forward Isabella Jensen Williams, who posted an impressive 21-point, 14-rebound double-double in her SBCC debut. Guard Katrina Regalado also filled up the box score with 18 points, five boards, three assists and a Vaquero-high three steals.

Santa Barbara's activity on the glass led to the visitors dominating the rebound battle, taking a 55-to-38 advantage overall and a 27-to-5 edge on offensive boards. It was the Vaqueros' highest offensive rebound total since Dec. 3, 2017.

However, the difference came at the charity stripe, where SBCC shot just 18-for-34 (52.9%), compared to 26-of-46 (56.5%) for the Dons.

"I always say control the controllables. So we have to control the free-throw situation and control our turnovers," Krul said. "We have a game on Friday and we will not have 28 turnovers and we will shoot better from the free-throw line and the field. But, we did have 55 rebounds and we had four players score in double-figures, so we're right there and we will get better."

The Vaqueros got out to a favorable start, closing the opening period on an 11-1 run to take a 9-point lead into the second quarter. Their largest lead would come on the first basket of the second, as a Julia De La Cruz layup gave the visitors a 22-11 advantage.

The Dons went on a run before halftime and would keep things close the rest of the way. There were nine ties on the day and five lead changes in the fourth quarter alone. A Regalado layup with 4:15 left in the game put SBCC up 66-58 before Santa Ana ended the game on a 14-3 run.

This Friday through Sunday, the Vaqueros will be in Santa Barbara to host the three-day MTXE Tournament. They will open their 2021 home schedule with a 4:00 p.m. Friday matchup against Ohlone.