Cougars Defend the Cage, Defeat West L.A. 82-77

The College of the Canyons women's basketball team edged out an 82-77 home win over West Los Angeles College on Saturday night.

The victory gives the Cougars three wins in their last four games with just two left on the schedule.

Both teams struggled to maintain an advantage throughout the game, as the lead changed hands nine times during the back-and-forth battle.

With the Wildcats leading 38-33, COC was able to close out the first half with a 16-4 run to put the Cougars up by seven points.

Canyons guard Qimmah Russo made two three-point shots to spark the COC run.

After two Monica Friedl free throws brought COC within three points, Russo's three-pointer with just less than two minutes left in the first half tied the game at 40.

Russo would hit a deep three-pointer before the halftime buzzer to put COC ahead at the half, 49-42.

Friedl could not be stopped on the offensive end, as the freshman forward converted 20 of her game-high 33 points in the first half.

The second half saw the Cougars trying to hold off West L.A. comebacks. Each time the Wildcats would come close to taking the lead, the Cougars answered.

The Wildcats pulled to within one point at 53-52 with 15:49 left in the game, but baskets by Hannah Green, Amber Evans, Jordan Oster and Friedl would end that threat eventually giving the Cougars an eight-point lead.

COC would then push back against yet another late West L.A. comeback attempt.

With the Cougars up only one point and 22 seconds left in regulation, Monica Friedl blocked a Wildcat layup attempt that would have given West LA the lead for the first time since late in the first half.

Friedl would go on to knock down four more free throws to seal the victory for the Cougars.

Friedl had an extraordinary game scoring 33 points and collecting 12 rebounds, and a game-saving block in the final seconds.

The victory lifts the Cougars to an overall record of 16-11 on the season and brings them to 6-6 in Western State Conference, South play.

The Cougars will next travel to Bakersfield College for a 7 p.m. contest on Wednesday, Feb. 18.