Pack Cruises to Third Straight Win

by Cerwin D Haynes

(thumbnail by Henry Caceres)

Despite entering January with a losing record, East LA College women's basketball has played one of the tougher schedules in the state. Playing opponents in the SCC-South has given the Huskies a bit of a reprieve from the gambit of top-10 teams they faced in December, and the Pack has taken advantage. They've won their previous two games, including a road victory at Long Beach (#8 RPI), and had a chance to keep the winning up against the Cougars of LA Southwest College tonight.

The home Green didn't disappoint: a 28-11 first quarter surge served as the foundation for a 20-point halftime lead, and the Cougars (3-10) never got closer than 18 points the rest of the way as East (8-12) cruised to an 84-60 win. Sophomore G/F Lupe Vazquez led the Huskies' scoring with 22 points on super-efficient shooting (7-9 FGs, 6-7 3FGs, 2-2 FTs). Freshman F/C Asiah Harris notched her eight double-double of the season with 15 points and 12 rebounds while adding a team-high six assists.

ELAC came out firing in the decisive first quarter: Harris and Vazquez combined to go 8-9 from the field as the Huskies made two-thirds of the shot attempts (12-18 FGs). On the other end of the court, their defense jammed up the Cougars, forcing the visitors to shoot 5-14 from the floor with five turnovers.

HUSKY BITS

• Four of the five starters scored in double digits. Sophomore F/C Makaia Smith had 18 points, and freshman PG Si'Auna "SiSi" Hayden had her highest scoring outing of the season with 13 points on 6-8 shooting (including her fourth made three-ball of the season).
• The Huskies shot above 50% (52.9%) from downtown for the game, the second time this season they've achieved such marksmanship.
• RPI WATCH: East sits at #22 in the state. To wit, the next team above them has an 18-3 overall record. RPI rankings figure heavily into playoff selections, so Coach Turner's crew can still keep an eye towards the postseason.

UP NEXT:

SCC-North conference play begins Wednesday when East LA heads up to Pasadena City to take on the 11-8 Lancers. Tip off at 7pm.