Santa Monica, CA (Women’s Basketball) -- The Citrus College Lady Owls put together one of their best defensive efforts of the season on Wednesday night, holding host Santa Monica College to just 23.4% shooting from the floor and a total of five field goals in the second half in their 54-35 victory over the Corsairs.
The Lady Owls would lead wire to wire in Wednesday night’s contest. The two teams would keep it close for the opening minutes on the game, until back to back lay-ups by Jasmin Thomas and Christna Kinney gave Citrus an early five point lead. Their lead would stay between three and six points for the remainder of the half, as they took a 24-21 advantage into the break.
In the second half, Citrus turned up the defense forcing the Corsairs into four turnovers in their first four possessions of the half. The Fighting Owls used their turnovers to their advantage getting 12 points off turnovers in the second half alone.
Citrus quickly pushed their lead to new heights, leading by as much as 15 points after a Bianca Nunez lay-up gave the Lady Owls a 40-25 lead with 10:28 to go in the game. They continued to push the issue in the second half, as their lead never dipped below double-digits, before eventually settling in for a 19 point victory.
Not only did Citrus put on perhaps their best defensive performance of the season, but they also picked up their first win in Santa Monica since the 2005-2006 season. Sophomore Bianca Nunez led the way with a game high 17 points, while freshman Briana Barfield recorded her seventh double-double of the season with 13 points and game high 11 rebounds.
With the win, Citrus improves to 11-8 overall and a perfect 3-0 in WSC play, while Santa Monica drops to 8-10 overall and 1-1 in conference games. The Lady Owls will continue their WSC slate on Saturday as they play host to Glendale College (8-9, 1-1). Tip-off is set for 5:00 PM.
Box Score