Cypress, CA- The Cypress College women's basketball team took home third place in the Ventura College- Kiwanis Tournament of Champions. They defeated Long Beach College 85-77 Saturday afternoon with a thrilling overtime victory.
The Chargers (4-1) got off to a hot start in the first game of the tournament, outscoring Santa Monica 31-11 in the first quarter. Alison Nelson got the scoring started with 5 points in the first 3 minutes and the Chargers never looked back. They knocked down 7 three pointers, and got out to a lead as large as 33. The Chargers did a great job passing the ball as 5 players scored in double figures. They finished off Santa Monica 92-55 to advance to the semifinals.
In the semis, the Chargers matched up with the home team, Ventura College Pirates. In this game, Jessica Barrow continued the Cypress hot streak scoring 5 points and knocking down a three pointer in the first minute of the game. Cypress continued to control the game until the Pirates fought back and took a 2-point lead heading into the second quarter. Both teams battled hard as the game seesawed back and forth. Ventura got out to a stable lead for much of the third quarter, but Cypress closed the gap to 3 late in the period. Down by 2 with 6 minutes to play in the 4th quarter the Chargers ran out of gas and were outscored 15-2 to finish the game. The Pirates won the game 68-53 to advance to the tournament championship, where they defeated Mt. San Antonio College 44-40.
After a hard fought game, the Chargers had to reenergize to claim the third place crown. Jessica Barrow showed out again scoring 27 points and leading the offense. Cypress controlled this game and never trailed until there were 3 minutes left in the 4th quarter. After an exciting 4th quarter, Pressila Blanco hit a clutch shot for Cypress to tie up the game, 70-70, and send it to overtime. The Chargers outscored Long Beach 15-7 in the overtime period to save the victory.
Jessica Barrow was selected to the all-torunament team after her fantasic offfensive display. After a successful third place finish, women's basketball will look forward to hosting the Lady Charger Classic beginning on December 6th. Cypress will open up the tournament vs. Compton College. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00pm.
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