Lady Cougs Come Home with 48-36 Defensive Win at Citrus

By Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director

GLENDORA — College of the Canyons came away with a 48-36 defensive minded victory at Citrus College on Saturday, as the Cougars rode the hot hand of Hannah Tolentino and LuLu Salloom controlled the glass.

Canyons (15-9, 9-2) has now won seven of its last eight games. COC has lost just two games in 2023, both to conference foe L.A. Valley College. The Lady Cougars and Monarchs (17-8, 9-2) are currently tied for second in the Western State Conference (WSC), South Division right behind Glendale College (19-5, 9-1) which has played one fewer conference contest. 

The Cougars' defensive prowess was on display Saturday vs. Citrus (8-16, 4-6) which was limited to just 15 points in the opening half and went on to shoot a combined 30 percent for the game. The Owls were 1-of-11 from downtown and committed 17 turnovers. Canyons outrebounded Citrus by a 48-36 margin.

Likewise, COC didn't have its usual offensive punch in the early going as a slow start saw the two teams play to an 8-7 score after one quarter. Canyons picked things up in the second half to take an eventual 27-15 lead into the break. 

Tolentino scored 16 of her team-high 17 points in the second half after a blistering third quarter that saw the freshman convert on all five of her shot attempts.

Salloom continued to dominate the paint with 22 rebounds, seven on the offensive end, alongside four steals and three blocks. She also added eight points and a pair of assists. The Saugus High School graduate continues to rank second in the state in rebounding with 16.8 per game.

Monique Febles pulled down 10 rebounds to finish one short of her season high and scored 12 points.

The Owls received 18 points and nine rebounds from Giselle Garcia-Nunez who was the only Citrus player to reach double digits. 

Neither Citrus or Canyons received any scoring from its reserve units, though the Owls played with a full 10-player rotation compared to a seven-woman lineup for the Lady Cougars.

Top Performers 

• Monique Febles – 40 min, 12 pts, 10 rebs, 2 assists, 3 stl,
• LuLu Salloom — 37 min, 8 pts, 21 rebs, 2 assist, 4 stls, 3 blocks
• Natalie Satamian — 37 min, 8 pts, 6 rebs, 4 assists, 3 stl, block
• Hannah Tolentino — 36 min, 17 pts, 2 rebs, 8-of-13 shooting

Upcoming Schedule

With three regular season games remaining on the docket Canyons is back at the Cougar Cage on Wednesday, Feb. 8 for a 5 p.m. tip-off against Antelope Valley College.

The conference schedule continues Saturday, Feb. 11 with another home contest vs. West L.A. College beginning at 3 p.m. Both games will be broadcast to fans free of charge on the Cougars Sports Network.

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 Mari Kneisel/COC Sports Information