By Ethan Aguilera
The Riverside City College’s women’s basketball team secured their first hard-fought win of the season after beginning with a 0-2 record.
The Tigers were able to pull out victorious in their third game of play against Bakersfield College Renegades, bringing their record to 1-2 at Wheelock Gymnasium on Nov.9.
“It feels great, and it feels great because it was a great team win,” head coach Alicia Berber said. “A lot of energy, and it was exciting to see all of the freshmen improve with some confidence that’s always fun to watch as a coach.”
RCC faced a challenging first quarter, trailing by as much as ten points. However, with two scores from sophomore Janara Williams and freshman guard Lasha’e Howard, they brought it down to six by the end of the first quarter.
It was a competitive second quarter as both teams traded shots. With a score from sophomore forward Antieya Brown, RCC took a 27-25 lead, their first of the game. However, a last-second free throw by Bakersfield gave them a 33-32 lead to end the half.
The Tigers had a big third quarter, outscoring the Renegades 23-15. It was also a big quarter for Janara Williams, who scored 10 of the 23 points. RCC finished the third quarter with a lead of 55-48.
The fourth quarter was challenging for the Tigers as they would commit constant turnovers.
“There’s still a few turnovers we need to fix,” sophomore Ayanna Flakes said. “But that just comes with time and experience.”
RCC eventually surrendered the lead. They managed to tie the score with two crucial scores from Janara Williams.
The Tigers seized the lead when Kavanti Brooks scored a layup, and Antieya Brown secured the victory with two big free throws, ultimately securing the game with a final score of 78-73.
“Overall, I thought we played well,” sophomore forward Alyssa Stribling said. “We did get into some foul trouble early, but we overcame that, and we kept up with them.”
Both Antieya Brown and Janara Williams had noteworthy performances in the game. Antieya recorded 22 points and 30 rebounds, while Janara contributed her own 25 points and 14 rebounds.
RCC will next take on Porterville College while they participate in the Santa Ana Tournament on Nov. 30.
