The Pirates' women's basketball team trailed by as many as 10 points late in the third quarter before coming back to defeat Cuesta 58-57 with a last-second basket and free throw by Alexa Coubal. The VC forward finished the game with 21 points and 11 rebounds and Sam McKenzie scored 12 points with four steals defensively. Daphné LeBrun recorded three steals with a pair of assists and hit a key 3-pointer in the comeback. Alexis Howery nailed a go-ahead triple in the final seconds of the triumph.
In a deliberate opening period, Ventura (11-6, 2-0) was able to hold a 9-6 lead with a bucket by Leslie Salazar with 4:42 left on the clock and McKenzie's two a minute later. LeBrun made on of two free throws on the next possession and Coubal scored inside at the 2:40 mark for a 12-8 advantage. THe Cougars scored the next five points with a deuce and a trey, however, and held a 13-12 lead at the end of the period.
Cuesta's run reached 11-0 3:15 into the second stanza as they led 19-12 before McKenzie broke the Pirates' skid with a three at the 6:23 mark. The Cuesta advantage expanded to nine points, 28-19, with a three with 3:13 on the clock and the Cougars led 31-22 before Salazar and McKenzie scored to close the halftime deficit to 31-26.
Both teams struggled to put points on the board in the third quarter with Ventura only netting a pair of free throws by Coubal in the first six-plus minutes of play. Cuesta was not much better as they held a 38-28 lead when Tiernan Phillips scored the first of two back-to-back buckets for the Pirates with 3:37 on the clock. The Cougars hit another three late and held a 41-34 margin headed to the final period.
A quick two stretched the Cougar lead back to nine, 43-34, when four straight points by Coubal brought VC back to 43-38. Cuesta countered with another two before McKenzie gave the Pirates a shot of energy with a 3-pointer on the next possession. After two free throws by Howery, LeBrun connected range to close the gap to two, 48-46, midway through the final stanza. Cuesta hit another three to go ahead by five before two Coubal free throws and a bucket by McKenzie brought the Pirates back to within 51-50 with 1:43 remaining.
Cuesta scored another long-range bomb on the next trip down the floor and Coubal answered with two more made free throws with 46 seconds on the clock. After a defensive stop by Ventura, Howery completed the comeback with a trey from the top of the key for a 55-54 VC lead with nine seconds left. After a timeout, Cuesta managed a quick bucket with a foul, completing a 3-point play at the :08 mark setting the stage for the final act. After a VC timeout, McKenzie found Coubal in the post who converted the easy score to tie the game at 57 with one tick remaining. A Cuesta player then called for a timeout when the Cougars had none left to call, resulting in a technical foul. Coubal hit the second of two free throws to set the final 58-57 margin.
Salazar totaled eight points and four rebounds in the game while Phillips had five points and seven boards. LeBrun and Howery each had six points in the game.
The Pirates next travel to Moorpark on Wednesday Jan. 17 for a 7:00 pm tip-off with the Raiders.