Huntington Beach, Calif. - Golden West women's basketball (8-4, 0-0 OEC) came from behind to defeat the San Diego Knights (9-6, 0-0 PCAC), 70-64.
In a stunning display of resilience and determination, the Golden West Rustlers staged another incredible comeback to defeat the San Diego Knights in a nail-biting thriller. The game started ominously for Golden West, as the Knights dominated the early proceedings. San Diego's aggressive play put the Rustlers behind, ending the first quarter with a significant 19-10 lead. The situation worsened in the second quarter; with less than five minutes left in the half, the Knights extended their lead to 17 points, leaving the score at 30-14. Golden West, however, refused to succumb to the pressure, scoring 6 points in the final 50 seconds to close the gap to 34-27 at halftime.
The halftime statistics painted a grim picture for Golden West. The Rustlers faced four starting players being burdened with at least two fouls each and their most physical post player Laoren Jordan being tagged with three fouls. Additionally, the Rustlers only managed a 25% shooting success from the floor and a mere 10% from the three-point line. In contrast, San Diego City boasted an impressive 50% success rate in both metrics. Coach Migliorini's half time talk reminded the team of their remarkable comeback against the ranked Chaffey Panthers team just weeks earlier in the same gymnasium. The team returned to the court the second half with renewed vigor, employing a more aggressive press strategy in the second half.
Adversity again struck midway through the fourth quarter. Lauren Jordan was ejected with her fifth foul and moments later Jessiah Ramirez suffered an ankle injury and had to leave the game. Ramirez's injury was a turning point in the close matchup. Coach Migliorini said "When they carried Jessiah off to the training room the team really wanted to come back and win the game for her."
Despite these setbacks, the Rustlers' tenacity never wavered. The Rustlers went on a 17-4 run to outscore the Knights by 13 points in the final 5 minutes of play, turning the game on its head to clinch a sensational 70-64 come from behind victory. The Rustlers first lead of the game came with just 1 minute and 45 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, a lead they never relinquished.
Golden West's defensive efforts were remarkable, scoring 28 points off turnovers and dominating in fast-break points, outscoring the Knights 23-0. They also secured 20 second-chance points. The win raises the Rustlers record to 8-4 and drops the Knights to 9-5. Kayla Terry was a force to be reckoned with, leading all players with 18 rebounds 9 steals and 6 assists. Ty Adams contributed a vital 17 points, but the night's standout performer was Princess McCauley. Despite a sprained finger on her shooting hand that caused a challenging shooting night, she was 8-20 from the floor and 3-7 from the three-point line, adding 20 crucial points. The Rustlers' defensive prowess was further highlighted by an astounding 26 steals, 15 of which came in the second half.
NEXT UP: The Rustlers next game will be against Oxnard in the East LA Christmas Tournament.
