Trailing by three points heading into the fourth quarter, the Cerritos College women's basketball team shot 67% in the final 10 minutes to post an 81-72 South Coast Conference South Division win over rival Long Beach City College on Wednesday night. The win by the Falcons (12-9, 1-0) was their second in the last three games after snapping a three-game losing streak. The team will host El Camino College at 7:00 p.m. on Friday in another divisional game.
In converting eight of their 12 field goals in the fourth quarter, five of them were from three-point range, as sophomore Jessica Gomez (Legacy HS) scored 13 points and converted a pair of three-pointers. Sophomore Serena Rendon (Carson HS) opened the quarter by hitting a three-pointer to tie the game at 58-58, with Gomez connecting on her next two shots from long range to give the team a 9-0 run to start the final stanza.
It became a 69-60 Falcons lead with 6:35 left on the clock after sophomore Lynette Garcia (Downey HS/Park (MO) University) hit her own three-point shot. After the Vikings (7-12, 0-1) pulled to within 69-64 with 5:07 remaining, the Cerritos defense kept them off the board for the next two minutes. Freshman Sarah Hernandez (St. Paul HS) became the fourth player to drain a three-pointer in the quarter, as her basket made it a 75-66 contest with 2:41 remaining.
Gomez (15 points, four rebounds) netted three of her final four free throws in the last :33 seconds to secure the win. Rendon posted a double-double with her 22 points (10-for-10 free throws) and 10 rebounds, with Garcia (4-of-6 three-pointers) adding 14 points and three rebounds. Sophomore Jesenia Rendon (Carson HS) posted 12 points and five rebounds, while Hernandez had 10 points. Freshman Mariah Lora (Warren HS) came in off the bench to dish out a team-high seven assists.