Lady Cougars Close Season With 68-48 Win vs. West L.A.
Canyons trailed 34-28 lead at halftime, but held the Wildcats to just 14 second half points.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
West LA
5-21 (1-7)
|
13 | 21 | 6 | 8 | 48 |
|
Canyons
11-15 (5-3)
|
11 | 17 | 25 | 15 | 68 |
Team Stats
West LA
| Game Statistics | West LA | Canyons |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (21-70) | (20-68) |
| Field Goal % | 30.0% | 29.4% |
| Rebounds | 39 | 54 |
| Assists | 9 | 13 |
| Turnovers | 19 | 17 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 9 | 11 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 12 | 13 |
| Pts in the Paint | 32 | 22 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 6 | 6 |
| Bench Pts | 10 | 0 |
The Lady Cougars finished the 2016-17 season in winning fashion by recording a convincing 68-48 victory over visiting West L.A. College despite finish the game with just four players on the floor.
Canyons entered the game with five players after freshman guard and leading-scorer Dayna Tanaka was ruled inactive due to injury, and would later be forced to play the final 3:45 with four players after forward Tasi Ramon fouled out.
COC led 61-42 at that point and was able to hold off a Wildcat (5-21, 1-7) team that shot just 22 percent in the fourth quarter.
The Wildcats actually took a 34-28 lead into halftime, but were only able to score 14 second half points.
Freshman forward Morgan Bizzell finished the game with 24 points and a season-high 24 rebounds, after converting on 12-of-18 free throw attempts.
Bizzell ends the season having scored double-digit points in nine of the team's final 10 games. Her 13.2 points per game this season ranks third on the team, while her 9.4 rebounds tops the club.
Sophomore point guard Marina Rojas had a stat line of 20 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals. Rojas recorded six triple-doubles on the season, including five straight to begin the conference schedule. Her 13.6 points and 9.2 rebounds per were second on the squad, while her mark of 6.3 assists each night led the Western State Conference and ranked fourth in the state.
Freshman guard Gissel Sanchez also had a strong finish to the season, ending with four steals and 18 points on a 7-of-18 shooting night.
Prior to tip-off the program hosted a brief ceremony to honor Rojas and Ramon in their final games at COC.
Canyons (11-15, 5-3) ends the year as the third ranked team in the Western State Conference (WSC), South Division after winning four of its final six games down the stretch.
The Lady Cougars will not advance to the postseason for just the second time since the 1992-93 season, head coach Greg Herrick's first with the program. COC also failed to qualify for the postseason in 2014-15, before bouncing back to win a conference title in 2016.
—Story and photos by Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information
