Even though the play may not have been the best at times, the Pirates' women's basketball team made it 10 straight wins with a 71-27 triumph over Santa Barbara Wednesday night at the Athletic Event Center. Carolyn Ruffino came off the bench to pace VC with 18 points while Brooke Zamora added 14 for VC (17-5, 4-0).
Play was not good in the early going as the Pirates missed 11 of their first 13 shot attempts from the floor. Additionally they turned the ball over four times in the first 10 minutes of play and left the fans in the Athletic Event Center standing for over four minutes to begin the game. When Makenna Murray hit VC's third field goal of the game at the 10:19 mark of the first half, the Pirates held a slim 7-5 advantage.
Ventura got things going somewhat over the next six minutes, pulling away with a 19-5 run. Ruffino buried a 3-pointer off of a Murray assist, then made a pair of free throws. Murray assisted Zamora's field goal and Micaela Pericone-Kapp scored a deuce. Murray hit a lay-up, Zamora nailed a triple, and Ruffino hit a bucket at the 4:46 mark to make the score 24-10. The Pirates led at halftime 28-16.
VC played much better in the second half, taking control with a 20-1 run over the first 7:03 of the period. Highlights included back-to-back three's by Ruffino and Zamora, and a pair of strong buckets in the paint by Sandra Ortiz. Ventura led 48-17 at the 12:57 mark following a field goal by Ruffino. Shiloh Smith had a strong outing down the stretch with six points on 3-3 shooting, and Erin Ross pulled in six rebounds, mostly down the stretch. The Pirates cruised in with the 71-27 victory.
Ruffino and Zamora were the only Pirates in double figures, but far from the only contributors. Shiloh Smith, Christina Gonzalez and Murray all netted six points in the win. 11 of the 13 Pirates scored in the contest. Murray led with seven rebounds while Zamora, Ortiz, Ross and Ruffino all pulled in six boards. Aubri Smith handed out five assists in action limited due to foul trouble and Murray distributed three dimes. Zamora also had three blocked shots and two steals.
Ventura pulls even with Moorpark atop the Western State Conference North Division standings at 4-0 as the Raiders had a bye Wednesday. Following close behind is Cuesta at 4-1 in what appears to be a three-team race for supremacy.
Next up, Oxnard College, who is making their return to action following a two-year hiatus, will visit the Athletic Event Center on Saturday Jan. 24. Tip-off with the Condors is scheduled for 7:00 pm with the Pirate men preceding at 5:00 pm.