Upset Bid Falls Short, Hancock Women Fall 73-60 to No. 6 Ventura in Conference Opener

Guards Taylor Lee-Hammer, Karly Beyers, and Syenna Ramirez combined to hit ten 3-pointers and score 40 points, but the Allan Hancock College women's basketball team's upset bid against 26-time defending conference champion Ventura fell short. The Bulldogs, who led by as many as seven points in the third quarter, dropped their Western State Conference opener 73-60 inside Joe White Memorial Gymnasium on Saturday evening. The Bulldogs dropped to 0-1 in conference and 11-6 overall. The Pirates won their 45^th straight conference game to improve to 16-5 on the season and 1-0 in league. The Pirates are ranked No. 6 in the Southern California Region.

Behind eight points apiece from Ramirez and Lee-Hammer, Hancock trailed 31-29 at halftime. The Bulldogs opened the second half with a 15-6 run to build a 44-37 lead with 5:38 to play in the third quarter. Lee-Hammer opened the quarter with a 3-pointer and a jumper to give Hancock its first lead of the game.  Freshman center Grace Rosa made two buckets inside in between 3-point buckets from Beyers and Ramirez. The Bulldogs maintained a lead deep into the third quarter, but after leading 48-45 with 2:07 to play, the Pirates went on a 13-4 run to regain control 58-52 with 5:44 to play in the game. Ventura led 49-48 to start the fourth quarter and outscored Hancock 24-12 in the final period to account for the 13-point margin of victory.

Lee-Hammer led the Bulldogs with 15 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. The freshman went 6-for-12 from the field, and 3-for-7 from long range. Beyers went 4-for-13 from 3-point range and 5-for-16 overall to finish with 14 points, six boards and four assists. Rosa finished with 12 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks. She made 5-of-14 from the floor and pulled down six offensive rebounds.

The Bulldogs shot 35 percent overall from the field by sinking 23 of their 65 shots. Hancock went 11-for-31 from 3-point range for a 35 percent clip. The Bulldogs made just three of their eight free throws. Hancock finished with 15 offensive rebounds and 29 overall.

Rhiana Dougan led the Pirates with 23 points. Davina Del Castillo added 16, and Sienna Brown finished with 15. Ventura shot 44 percent from the field, and hit 7-of-24 from 3-point range. The Pirates sank 12 of their 20 free throws, and finished with 39 rebounds. Ventura held an 18-10 edge on second-chance points.

Hancock will return to action at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, January 18, at Moorpark College.