In a battle of two conference front runners, the VC women's basketball team defeated Cuesta 61-50 Wednesday night at the Athletic Event Center in the Western State Conference opener for both teams. Brooke Zamora led the Pirates (14-5, 1-0) with 17 points and Makenna Murray added 10 in the victory.
Ventura had the touch from the outside early as Murray and Zamora each cashed in assists by Aubri Smith and hit 3-pointers as the Pirates opened up an 8-4 lead in the first two minutes of the game. The Cougars, who entered the game ranked No. 13 in the latest SoCal regional poll with a 14-4 non-conference record, managed to come back and tie the score at 20-20 with 6:13 remaining in the first half when Carly Maciel hit a 3-pointer with an assist by Erin Ross. Another bucket by Maciel from a Zamora Pass gave the Pirates a five-point cushion with 4:28 remaining. Four consecutive VC turnovers allowed Cuesta back in, however, and the 25-25 tie was broken by Zamora with a bucket off of Aubri Smith's assist in the closing seconds of the period. VC led 27-25 at halftime.
The Pirate defense took over in the second half, allowing just two Cuesta field goals in the first eight minutes. VC built a 41-30 lead in that time span. Cuesta came back to within 41-34 when Micaela Pericone-Kapp and Zamora splashed back-to-back three's to give control back to Ventura. Pericone-Kapp's second 3-pointer of the night came soon thereafter, giving VC a 50-36 advantage at the 9:00 mark. Cuesta never really threatened again as Ventura rode the momentum to a 61-50 win.
While Zamora and Murray were the only Pirates in double-figures, Pericone-Kapp netted eight points in the win. Aubri Smith handed out a career-high 11 assists to go along with six rebounds and four steals. Murray also pulled in six boards. Pericone-Kapp and Sandra Ortiz each had five rebounds.
Following a bye on Saturday Jan. 10, the Pirates return to action on Wednesday Jan. 14 at Allan Hancock College. tip-off against the Bulldogs is scheduled for 7:00 pm following the VC men's game.