No. 6 Canyons Pushes Streak to Four, 54-47 Over West L.A.

By Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director

No. 6 College of the Canyons won its fourth straight game 54-47 over West L.A. College at the Cougar Cage on Saturday, as Monique Febles finished with 17 points and LuLu Salloom pulled down 21 rebounds to keep COC in the win column.

Febles scored 11 points in the fourth quarter as Canyons overcame a six-point halftime deficit against a West L.A. squad that shot seven percent from the floor across the final 10 minutes.

The Cougars (15-4, 4-1) started the game in similar fashion netting just seven points in the first quarter to quickly fall behind 19-7 at the first break. COC was just 3-of-14 in the opening frame and committed seven turnovers.

Despite those numbers, Canyons had cut the Wildcat lead to six at 27-21 by halftime.

Salloom's rebound total represented the third time she has crossed the 20-board plateau and upped her average to 14.5 per game, good for second in the conference. The freshman has now recorded double-digit rebound totals in 14 straight games dating back to Nov. 19 and ranks fourth in the state in that category. 

Malia Semana and Danni Diaz both finished the contest with 10 points and Justice Walters added nine off the bench. Semana recorded a game-high six assists to go with six rebounds. Febles also starred on the defensive end with five steals and three rebounds.

Canyons picked up the victory despite shooting just under 29 percent from the floor and 50 percent from the foul line.

West L.A. (7-9, 2-3) had three scorers in double figures with Lauren Lee the leader at 12 points and eight rebounds. Diamond Williams was next with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Taniya Simmons chipped in with nine points and three assists.

COC is now 2-0 at the Cougar Cage this season having won four straight conference games to sit second in the Western State Conference (WSC), South Division standings. Canyons began the season with an eight-game win streak.

The Cougars, ranked No. 6 in the region according to most recent CCCWBCA poll, boast three of the conference's top 12 scorers in Salloom (16.5 points), Walters (13.8 points), and Febles (12.5 points). Semana is also second in the conference with 4.8 assists per game.

Canyons is back in action Wednesday, Jan. 26 at conference leading Bakersfield College (15-2, 4-0). That contest is scheduled to tip off at 7 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. 

—Photo by Maurico Escobar/Dximagery