Women’s Basketball Opens Conference Play 1-1

Citrus College Women's Basketball open conference play at 1-1 after games against Los Angeles Valley College and Antelope Valley College. Citrus lost a heartbreaker 52-51 at LA Valley on Wednesday, January 7 before defeating Antelope Valley College 77-66 at home on Saturday, January 10. After thier first two conference games the Owls sit at 4-12 overall and 1-1 in conference play.

In Wednesday's tough one-point conference opening loss on the road against LA Valley the Owls battled against the Monarchs, mounting a second-half comeback that fell just short in the fourth quarter. In the game there was four ties and two ties as the Owls shot only 21-of-65 from the field and 7-of-29 from three while being outrebounded 33-60. The Owls did force 21 turnovers and showed fight coming back from being down 14 points before the end of the first half.

Citrus was led by Maileeh Suasti, who led all scorers with 17 points on 8-of-15 shooting while adding six rebounds and two assists. Brianna Gomez followed with 13 points, knocking down three three-pointers and contributing two steals and a block, while Lexie Navarro chipped in eight points, including two from beyond the arc. Setsianna Kraynak made a strong impact on the glass with a team-high 10 rebounds to go along with two assists and two steals. Off the bench, Jhavmine Ave provided energy and defensive pressure, finishing with eight points, six rebounds, a team-high six steals, and two blocks.

The Owls returned home on Saturday, January 10, and picked up a strong 77-66 victory over Antelope Valley College, scoring a season-high in points. Citrus held a slim 14-13 advantage after the first quarter before breaking the game open in the second, pouring in 23 points behind nine from Maileeh Suasti and eight from Jhavmine Ave. As a team, the Owls shot 8-of-14 from the field and 4-of-9 from three-point range in the second quarter to take a 37-27 lead into halftime.

Citrus held off Antelope Valley's comeback attempt in the second half, leading the Marauders 30-29 over the final two quarters to secure the 11-point win. For the game, the Owls shot 30-of-58 (51.7 percent) from the field, 9-of-27 (33.3 percent) from beyond the arc, and 8-of-11 at the free-throw line. While most statistical categories were closely contested, Citrus controlled the paint, outscoring AVC 30-22 inside.

Citrus turned in a standout offensive performance led by Maileeh Suasti, who delivered a career-high 30-point outing on an ultra-efficient 13-of-15 shooting, while also pulling down 12 rebounds to record a double-double to go along with three assists, three steals and one block. Jhavmine Ave followed with a strong all-around performance, finishing with 25 points, seven assists, and five rebounds, knocking down four three-pointers.

Lexie Navarro added nine points, all from beyond the arc, while Brianna Gomez contributed eight points, six assists, and a team-high five steals. Paisley Woo provided a spark off the bench with five points on perfect shooting, and Setsianna Kraynak impacted the game defensively with four rebounds and a steal.

The Owls will travel to College of the Canyons for a conference matchup on Wednesday, January 14, with tipoff set for 7 p.m.