Citrus Holds On To Beat Bakersfield

No. 24-ranked Citrus College dug deep to grab an 81-76 victory over Bakersfield College Saturday afternoon.

The Owls improve to 17-5 on the year and 7-1 in Western State Conference action, while the Renegades drop to 6-14 overall and 1-7 in conference.

Jolleen Olia led three Owls with 31 points (9-for-23), followed by Kristin Morella with 16 points (7-for-16) and Liz Camargo chipped in 11 points (4-for-11).

Sammy Martinez led the Owls with 16 rebounds, while Leilani Argueta grabbed seven boards.

It came down to the final 90 seconds after Olia made a jump shot to tie the game at 74-74.

Gabby Valdez came up big with a defensive board and ran the length of the court to bank in a shot to put the Owls up 76-74.

Citrus got another stop, forcing Bakersfield to foul, but Martinez made her first free throw before Argueta grabbed an offensive rebound on the second one and Morella drove to the basket to put the Owls up by two possessions, 79-74.

The Renegades cut to three with two free throws of their own, but Olia put the game away with two free throws to seal the 81-76 victory.

Citrus remains at home to host Santa Monica City College on Wednesday at 7 p.m.