Women’s Basketball Pulls Away in Third Quarter to Beat Santa Monica

Citrus College women's basketball picked up its third consecutive conference win with a 79–71 home victory over Santa Monica College on Saturday, Jan. 17. The win improves the Owls to 6–12 overall and 3–1 in conference play, while the Corsairs fall to 2–12 overall and 0–4 in conference.

The first quarter was a back-and-forth offensive battle, with Santa Monica holding a 23–19 lead after the opening period. Citrus edged the Corsairs 19–17 in the second quarter to trail 40–38 at halftime, with Jhavmine Ave leading all scorers with 16 points.

The Owls came out strong in the third quarter, scoring 24 points on 10-of-20 shooting from the field and 3-of-7 from three-point range to take control of the game. Ave added eight points in the quarter, matching her combined total from the first half, as Citrus took a 62–55 lead into the fourth quarter.

In the final period, the Owls outscored Santa Monica 17–16 to secure the 79–71 win and prevent any comeback attempt.

Citrus shot 41.0% from the field (32 of 78) while connecting on 10 of 37 from 3-point range and going 5 of 10 from the free-throw line. The Owls held a 20–14 advantage in assists, forced 17 Santa Monica turnovers while committing just six, and converted those miscues into 14 points. Citrus outscored the Corsairs 34–16 in the paint and scored 16 fastbreak points, though Santa Monica controlled the boards 52–39 and connected on 11 of 18 from three-point range. The game featured six lead changes and four ties, with Citrus holding its largest lead of 10 points late in the fourth quarter.

Citrus received strong performances across the lineup in the 79–71 win. Jhavmine Ave led all scorers with 28 points, adding seven rebounds, six assists, five steals and one block. Brianna Gomez finished with 21 points, five assists and three rebounds, while Lexie Navarro contributed 14 points, two assists and two steals. Setsianna Kraynak recorded a double-double with 13 rebounds and two steals, adding two points, and Raynise Beserra scored five points with five rebounds, two assists and one steal. Off the bench, Paisley Woo added a career high nine points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Citrus will host Bakersfield College next Wednesday, Jan. 21, at 7 p.m.