Looking for a win in South Coast Conference South Division play, the Cerritos College women's basketball team responded with a 65-40 win over visiting Los Angeles Southwest College on Wednesday night. The victory snapped a five-game losing streak for the Falcons (13-11, 1-1), who will travel to Los Angeles Harbor College on Friday for another 5:00 p.m divisional game.

Defensively, Cerritos held the Cougars (7-12, 1-2) to just 11 first half points on 4-of-31 shooting, while holding them to just 22% shooting from the field on the night. By contrast, the Falcons converted 31% of their field goals, with the key stat being a 57-31 rebounding advantage, with 20 of those boards coming on the offensive end.

Building on their 28-11 lead at intermission, freshman Serena Rendon (Carson HS) opened the second half with a three-pointer, and then built their lead to 37-11 after sophomore Angie Ferreira (Long Beach Millikan HS) and Rendon netted a pair of free throws, with freshman Carolina Cuevas (Legacy HS) hitting a short jumper. The biggest lead of the game came with 2:21 left in the third quarter after freshman Paola Torres (Santa Fe HS) scored on a short jump shot for a 46-19 advantage.

The Falcons had a couple of spurts in the game where they had trouble with ball possession, resulting in 16 turnovers. But it was their rebounding and second chances on the offensive end that enabled them to maintain their lead. Three players pulled down double-figures in rebounds, with the tandem of Rendon (18 points, 12 rebounds) and Ta'amu (14 points, 11 rebounds) posting double-doubles.

Sophomore Alexis Clark (Mayfair HS) came off the bench to haul in 10 rebounds, while Ferreira finished with seven points, six rebounds and three assists. Also playing well off the bench, freshman Jessica Gomez (Legacy HS) posted nine points, four rebounds and five steals, with Cuevas pulling down eight rebounds.

Photos by Daryl Peterson