Dominant third quarter lift Pirates past Hancock
A dominant third-quarter surge and a balanced scoring effort powered Ventura to a 61-42 victory over Allan Hancock on Wednesday night at the Athletic Event Center. Riannah Lopez scored 21 points with eight rebounds and Olivia Decierdo netted 19 points with six boards, three assists and three steals to lead the effort.
A dominant third-quarter surge and a balanced scoring effort powered Ventura to a 61-42 victory over Allan Hancock on Wednesday night at the Athletic Event Center. Riannah Lopez scored 21 points with eight rebounds and Olivia Decierdo netted 19 points with six boards, three assists and three steals to lead the effort.
Clinging to a three-point halftime lead, Ventura broke the game open in the third quarter, outscoring Hancock 21-7 to turn a 27-24 edge into a 48-31 advantage heading to the fourth. The Pirates then closed out the win with a steady final 10 minutes, taking the fourth quarter 13-11 to finish off the 19-point decision.
Lopez knocked down 9 of 18 shots from the field, including 2 of 6 from 3-point range while Decierdo was an efficient 6-for-8 shooting from the floor. Kayla Lumas added a strong two-way effort with 11 points, eight rebounds and two assists as three Pirates finished in double figures. Charnelle Nichols grabbed a team-best 10 rebounds in the game.
As a team, VC controlled the glass and the paint to create separation. The Pirates held a 43-36 edge on the boards, including 15 offensive rebounds that led to nine second-chance points and a 28-20 advantage in points in the paint. Ventura also generated 11 steals and forced 18 Bulldog turnovers, converting them into 11 points off turnovers to fuel the decisive run after halftime.
AHC was limited to 16-for-55 shooting (29.1%) overall and just 1-for-8 (12.5%) from 3-point range.
The Pirates will close the regular season on Friday Feb. 20 at Oxnard. The contest with the Condors is scheduled for 7:00 pm.