The VC women's basketball team built a 10-point lead at halftime and made it hold up despite a charge by Santa Barbara as the Pirates came home with a 58-52 road win Monday. Kylie Gallick led Ventura with 16 points on 6-8 shooting from the floor and a 4-5 performance at the free throw line and Mya Victor came off the bench with 14 points, eight boards, four steals and three blocked shots. Sofia Torres-Reyes totaled 10 points, eight assists and three assists for VC (12-10, 7-1).
The teams locked horns from the onset as the opening tip was tied up resulting in a rare second jump ball. A 3-pointer by Alyssandra Lacanilao and a drive and score from Kenya Edelhart gave the Pirates a short-lived 5-3 advantage. The vaqueros scored the next two buckets, and turned a 10-10 tie into a 17-11 lead with 1:39 remaining in the first quarter. Victor made the first of two free throws at the 1:23 mark, and Torres-Reyes grabbed the offensive rebound on the second, connecting from range to cut the margin to 17-15. Edelhart scored on the drive in the closing seconds of the period and the game wa seven at 17, 10 minutes in.
Santa Barbara held a 23-21 advantage at the 5:45 mark of the second period before the Pirates ended the half with a 12-0 run. Lacanilao's mid-range jumper tied the game, and Gallick connected from 15-feet out to give Ventura the lead. Gallick followed with a pair of charity shots and Lacanilao converted Edelhart's dime into three with 1:56 on the clock. Victor then made a lay-up and Gallick hit another free shot as the Pirates led 33-23 at halftime.
The teams traded three's after the break with Edelhart hitting from range for Ventura. SBCC went on a 10-0 run from that point, tying the score at 36 with 5:45 remaining in the third quarter. Gallick and Torres Reyes scored on back-to-back possessions, however, as VC went back ahead. Victor connected on an old-fashioned 3-point play, and answered a Vaquero score with a deuce and the Pirates led 45-39 at the quarter break.
SBCC fought back to tie the game, once again, at 47-47 with 6:15 remaining, but Ventura stopped the Vaquero momentum at that point. Maddie Ozbourn connected on a jumper in the paint, and Gallick followed with another made jump shot from Lacanilao's assist to give the Pirates the lead for good. Gallick answered an Santa Barbara score with an inside field goal and Torres-Reyes scored a bucket after SBCC closed to within a point, 53-52. In the final minute, Torres-Reyes converted Victor's dime to clinch the game with a 3-pointer from the left wing, setting the final 58-52 margin.
Lacanilao netted eight points in the victory while Edelhart totaled seven with a pair of assists. Ozbourn grabbed a game-high nine rebounds as the Pirates led the Vaqueros on the boards 46-33.
VC will next travel to Moorpark on Wednesday Feb. 9. Tip-off at Raider Pavilion is slated for 7:00 pm.