Lady Cougars Comeback for 83-75 Win vs. Bakersfield College

College of the Canyons overcame a 15-point deficit behind a game-high 28 points from Dayna Tanaka and another triple-double stat line from Marina Rojas, as the Lady Cougars pulled out an 83-75 victory over conference rival Bakersfield College on Saturday night in the Cougar Cage.

Bakersfield came into the contest having won four of its last five games, and looked to be in control early on. The Renegades took a 45-33 lead into halftime after shooting 80 percent from three-point territory and a combined 41.7 percent from the floor.

Meanwhile, Canyons struggled in the early going, shooting a combined 30 percent (12-of-40) from the field. COC trailed 21-16 after the first quarter before the Renegades were able to really pull away heading to into halftime.

A three-pointer from Tanaka late in the second quarter cut the lead to 12-points and, perhaps, gave the Lady Cougars a confidence boost heading into the locker room. 

Trailing 45-33 in the opening moments of the third quarter, Canyons put together an 11-2 run that injected some life back into the Lady Cougars.

COC sophomore Morgan Bizzell scored 11 points in the quarter to help pace COC. She finished the game with 22 points, 14 rebounds and two steals, on a 9-of-20 shooting night.

It was more Bizzell in the fourth quarter as she helped the Lady Cougars establish their first lead of the game at the 7:49 mark by adding nine points on five possessions to take COC on another 11-2 run.

COC would not trail again, with the Renegades only managing to draw within three points the rest of the way. 

Tanaka and Rojas were also instrumental in the comeback effort. 

Rojas finished the game with 18 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists to record her fourth triple-double of the season.

Tanaka was 9-of-17 from the field, and also recorded two steals and three assists.

Elsewhere on the court freshman Gissel Sanchez finished the game with nine points and five assists. Sophomore Tasi Ramon pulled down 11 rebounds.

Bakersfield won the battle on the boards by a  53-41 advantage. Canyons was 16-of-29 from the charity line compared to 12-of-18 for the Renegades.

With the win, Canyons (7-14, 2-1) is now third in the Western State Conference (WSC), South Division standings, one game behind Santa Monica College. COC lost to the Corsairs 83-67 earlier in the week.

The Lady Cougars will next travel to West L.A. College at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 1.

—Story and photos by Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information