Canyons Goes Back-to-Back with 77-59 Win vs. West L.A.

By Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director 

Diamyn Davis poured in 28 points and nabbed 14 rebounds to help lead College of the Canyons to a 77-59 home win over West L.A. on Sophomore Night in the Cougar Cage on Wednesday.

Canyons (12-14, 7-6) won its second straight game and got over the .500 mark vs. Western State Conference (WSC), South Division opponents, while also sweeping the season series vs. the Wildcats (10-17, 4-9). COC also defeated West L.A. 65-61 back on Jan. 25.

Davis finished the game 11-of-23 from the floor and 6-of-8 from the charity stripe. Her 28 points represented a season best.

Sophomore Cristian Patron, playing in her final home game for the Lady Cougars, added 19 points and nine boards. She continues to lead COC in scoring at an average of 18.5 points per game. 

Canyons started the contest a bit sluggish with the Wildcats able to establish an early 12-2 advantage midway through the first quarter. A much needed timeout from head coach Greg Herrick seemed to settle his players, however, and Canyons went on to finish the opening quarter on a high note, cutting its deficit to four points.

A strong defensive effort in the following frame allowed the Lady Cougars to take a 35-26 lead into halftime, after limiting the Wildcats to just seven points.

Canyons continued to be the aggressor in the second half with sophomore McKenzie Stoehr and Davis combining for 18 points in the third quarter. Stoehr finished the game with 11 points and seven assists.

Freshman Malia Semana dazzled throughout the evening, with 15 assists, five points and a pair of steals to help pace the Lady Cougars. It was her second game with double-digit assist totals after registering 12 in the previous contest vs. Citrus College.

The two teams played a close fourth quarter, but by then Canyons had already established clear control.

Danny Diaz ended the game with 11 rebounds, three steals and five points while continuing to be a key defensive presence for Canyons. Lexi Corona came off the bench to the tune of five points, three steals and four rebounds. 

COC honored its five sophomores — Patron, Stoehr, Theresa Garcia, Corona and injured point guard Krystal Amato — with a brief ceremony recognizing their contributions to the Lady Cougars' program. 

The victory places COC fourth in the WSC, South heading into Friday's season finale at Bakersfield College. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m.

Stay up to date on all this season's action by following the College of the Canyons Athletic department on social media at @COCathletics on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube