It's been 33 years since the Cerritos College women's basketball team was led by someone other than Karen Welliver. But with her retirement, new head coach Trisha Raniewicz has taken over the reigns and led the Falcons to a 76-64 win over West Los Angeles College in their first game of the season. The team will now enter the Riverside City Tournament, where they will open with a 1:00 p.m. game against Solano College next Friday.

Another change to women's basketball this season is the new 10-minute, four-quarter format. Cerritos seemed to handle the change in the game well, as they scored over 20 points in each of the first two quarters, as they opened a 44-35 lead at halftime.

The Falcons were led by sophomore forward Ashley Flores (California HS), who scored 15 points and hauled down 11 rebounds, with sophomore guard Kennedi Cooper (Lakewood HS) finishing with 12 points and seven caroms. The bench also provided a great deal of support in the win, as they accounted for 32 points and 22 rebounds.

Sophomores Verenice Gomez (Whittier HS) and freshman Miranda Valentin (Bellflower HS) each posted nine points, with Valentin adding six rebounds and three blocked shots. Sophomore guard Clarissa Hernandez (St. Paul HS) dished out a team-high six assists, with sophomore Crystal Lomax (Lynwood HS) posting eight points and five rebounds off the bench.