Gauchos outplayed by Dons
Photo by Allison Gale
Saddleback boxed out in the first half leads to catch up in second yet coming up short in the final minutes.
Despite the 18 points that were scored by guard Shannon Abdulla, the women’s basketball team fell to the Santa Ana College Dons at home on Friday night, 56-52.
In addition, Abdulla had four rebounds and one assist, making her the standout player for the evening. Guard Deja Brooks scored eight points, had six rebounds and also had three assists, to bring the Gauchos within four points of a win.
The starting forward, Tatiana Moana, also scored seven points, had six rebounds and two assists to contribute to the team. Saddleback led the game with 46 rebounds and 11 assists.
The women ended the game with shooting only 28.1 percent, as compared to the 41.2 percent of the Dons. Santa Ana also led with 12 steals which helped them defeat the Gauchos.
With the added cheers and support of the about 85 attendees, the women played hard against the fierce Dons with 14 points off the bench as well. But the loss put an end to their perfect 4-0 conference record.
The opening half ended with a score of 30-17. It was while playing the second half that the women found their momentum and came back to tie the game with a temporary lead over Santa Ana of 49-48 with 4:22 to play.
Guard Lillie Rellin fell with a little more than 10 minutes left to play when she was trying to block a pass against Santa Ana.
Toward the end of the second half, the Gauchos laid on their best defense which forced the Dons to the free-throw line. They made 3 of 4 in the final seconds of the game on the line which sealed the deal for Santa Ana.
None of the women were available for comment about the loss after the game. But they are doing quite well with an overall record of 13-9 and a conference record of 4-1.
With their above average record at away games of 3-1, the Gauchos are looking to have another victory when they play the Hornets on January 29. The mid-week game starts at 7:30 p.m. in Fullerton.
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