Upset Bid Falls Short, Hancock Women Fall to #1 Ventura

The Bulldogs battled, but their upset bit of Ventura, the top ranked team in the state, fell short as the Allan Hancock College women's basketball team fell 69-54 in Joe White Memorial Gymnasium on Saturday.

The Bulldogs dropped their fourth in a row and fell to 2-7 in Western State Conference play and 12-12 overall. The Pirates improved to 8-0 in conference play and 23-3. The Pirates are seeking their 24^th-straight conference crown.

Ali Rodriguez led the Bulldogs with 16 points on 5 for 17 shooting. She hit 4 of her 12 shots from 3-point range. Davina J. Valerio poured in 13 points and hit both of her shots from 3-point territory. The sophomore guard also had three steals. Justine Roland added 10 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Celina Calderon, a freshman from Lompoc, added nine points.

Sophomore forward Emma Weinreich did not play for the Bulldogs, which resulted in first-year head coach Cary Nerelli playing just six players in the entire game. 

Valerio buried a 3-pointer to give Hancock a 12-8 lead with 10:56 to go in the first half.  Celina Calderon hit a three to give the Bulldogs a 17-14 lead with 8:50 to play. The Pirates regained control and outscored Hancock 24-8 to carry a 38-25 lead at halftime. Hancock made 38.5 percent of its shots from the field in the first half, while Ventura made a blistering 56 percent.

The Bulldogs twice climbed to within eight points in the second half, but could not get any closer than that

Rodriguez hit two free throws with about five minutes to go to make it a 57-46 game, but the Pirates only extended their lead from there.

Lisa Marie Sanchez led four Pirates in double figures with 20 points and five assists. Adrianne Sloboh and Brooke Dixon added 14 points each. Sloboh pulled down a game-high 16 rebounds.

The Pirates made 51 percent of their shots from the field (25-49) compared to 36.7 percent in the game for the Bulldogs (18-49).

Ventura also outrebounded Hancock 34 to 18.

Hancock returns to action next Saturday, Feb.15 at L.A. Pierce.