Citrus Defense Too Much for West LA

Citrus College avenged its first Western State Conference-South loss of the season with a 69-58 victory over West LA Saturday evening, holding the Wildcats to 25.7-percent shooting.

The Owls improve to 12-11 overall and 3-6 in conference with their second-straight win. The Wildcats slip to 7-14, 2-7 WSC-South.

Three Owls finished the night in double figures, led by Katherine Goostrey with 23 points. She also had seven assists and six steals to help lead her team to victory. Giselle Garcia-Nunez followed with yet another double-double – her 14th of the season – scoring 21 points and grabbing 16 boards. Reanne Reola chipped in 13 points and Julie Garcia Man had 11 rebounds.

After holding a slight, three-point edge after the first quarter, Citrus outscored West LA 15-2 in the second frame to jump out to a 31-15 halftime lead. The Owls held the Wildcats scoreless for 11-and-a-half minutes carrying into the second half to create some distance.

Despite an 18-point deficit, West LA clawed its way back into the game and pulled within one possession, 37-34, heading into the final 10 minutes of action.

Both teams turned up the intensity in the fourth, but a 7-0 run by the Owls put the home team back in the driver's seat. Goostrey knocked down an and-one to spark the run, which also saw back-to-back layups from Garcia-Nunez to give the Owls a 10-point cushion, 47-37.

The Wildcats tried to keep it close, but the Owls took care of business at the charity stripe and got the stops on defense they wanted to run away with the 69-58 victory.

Citrus hosts Pasadena City College for non-conference action on Wednesday at 7 p.m. before resuming WSC-South play for the remainder of the year.