Tara Casey and Morgan Bryant each came off the bench for 11 pts as #4 Irvine Valley easily outdistanced host Saddleback in OEC conference play Wednesday night in Mission Viejo.
Irvine Valley (15-3, 2-0) went on a 14-0 run early in the game, erasing a momentary 11-10 Gaucho lead and taking a double-digit advantage midway through the first half. Saddleback cut the deficit to eight points at 24-16, but a 3-pointer by Patricia Tidwell-McClure pushed Irvine Valley's lead back to 11 points and IVC led by 11 at the break, 31-20.
When the second half started, Irvine Valley gradually pulled away. Erika Mercado pushed the lead to 14 points with a jumper that made it 39-25. Casey scored on a fast break to make it a 16-point game, then passed to Conerie Brennan for a score that pushed the IVC lead to 18 at 45-27. A turnaround jumper by Bryant increased the lead to 20 at 48-28 with just under 9 minutes to play, ending any doubt as to the game's outcome.
Casey scored 11 pts and added 6 rebs, and Bryant had 11 pts on 4-for-5 from the floor while adding 4 rebs and 2 asts. Among the starters - who played light minutes due to the large IVC lead - Turner had 8 pts and 8 rebs and Jordan Coleman had 8 pts, 7 rebs and 5 asts.
For Saddleback, 2013-14 OEC Player of the Year Deja Brooks scored a game-high 14 pts and also grabbed 9 rebs, though she was just 6-for-21 from the floor and 2-for-10 from the free throw line. Shatiana Daniels had 7 pts and 8 rebs, and Danielle Munson had 9 rebs.
box score
Wednesday, January 14, 2015 - 5 pm
at Saddleback College, Mission Viejo
Orange Empire Conference - women
Irvine Valley 56:
1-Jordan Coleman, SG - 4/10 fg, 0/1 ft, 7 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl, 4 pf, 8 pts
21-Patricia Tidwell-McClure, SF - 2/6 fg, 1 blk, 5 pts
23-Karli Kato, PG - 0/2 fg, 1 reb, 5 ast, 1 stl, 0 pts
24-Conerie Brennan, PF - 2/7 fg, 2/2 ft, 5 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl, 1 pf, 6 pts
34-Breanna Turner, C - 3/7 fg, 2/2 ft, 8 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl, 3 pf, 8 pts
2-Tara Casey, G - 4/10 fg, 2/6 ft, 6 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl, 1 pf, 11 pts
13-Erika Mercado, G - 2/4 fg, 1/2 ft, 5 reb, 1 ast, 1 pf, 5 pts
32-Morgan Bryant, F - 4/5 fg, 3/4 ft, 4 reb, 2 ast, 4 pf, 11 pts
33-Marlene Montero, C - 1/2 fg, 2 reb, 2 pts
43-Samantha Perez, F - 1 stl, 1 pf, 0 pts
3-Erika Pagkalinawan, G - 1 stl, 0 pts
20-Jennifer Lopez, F - 0/2 fg, 1 reb, 1 pf, 0 pts
team rebounds: 4
Totals: 22/55 fg (.400), 10/17 ft (.588), 43 reb, 16 ast, 3 blk, 10 stl, 16 pf, 56 pts
3-pt fg (2): Tidwell-McClure, Casey
Turnovers (16): Casey 4, Perez 3, Coleman 2, Turner 2, Bryant 2, Pagkalinawan 2, Kato
Saddleback 37:
2-Emily Cox, SG - 2/11 fg, 2/2 ft, 4 reb, 1 stl, 1 pf, 7 pts
3-Deja Brooks, PG - 6/21 fg, 2/10 ft, 9 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl, 3 pf, 14 pts
21-Hannah Saliba, C - 0/4 fg, 6 reb, 3 blk, 1 stl, 3 pf, 0 pts
24-Danielle Munson, SF - 1/5 fg, 9 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl, 1 pf, 2 pts
25-Shatiana Daniels, PF - 3/10 fg, 1/2 ft, 8 reb, 1 ast, 1 pf, 7 pts
1-Angela Steel, F - 1/5 fg, 1 reb, 2 blk, 2 pts
22-RaShawna Williams, F - 0/1 fg, 2 reb, 0 pts
55-Jacqueline Corley, C - 1/2 ft, 1 reb, 1 pt
33-Kytia Pierce, F - 2/2 fg, 2 reb, 2 stl, 3 pf, 4 pts
10-BrieAnna Stillman, G - 0/2 fg, 2 reb, 2 ast, 1 pf, 0 pts
15-Ali Levander, G - 1 ast, 1 stl, 0 pts
team rebounds: 5
Totals: 15/61 fg (.246), 6/16 ft (.375), 49 reb, 6 ast, 7 blk, 8 stl, 14 pf, 37 pts
3-pt fg (1): Cox
Technical Foul: Coach Winn
Turnovers (21): Brooks 5, Cox 3, Saliba 3, Munson 3, Williams 2, Pierce 2, Levander 2, Corley
Halftime Score: Irvine Valley 31, Saddleback 20
Updated Records: Irvine Valley (#4-South, #6-Calif) 15-3, 2-0 in OEC; Saddleback (defending OEC champion) 10-10, 1-2 in OEC
Irvine Valley led 10-5 early on. Saddleback went on a 6-0 run to lead 11-10.
Then Irvine Valley went on a 14-0 run to lead 24-11 and led the rest of the way.
