Huntington Beach, Calif. - Golden West women's basketball (15-12, 5-8 OEC) won a key late season game against the Santa Ana Dons (13-14, 3-10 OEC) by 30 points, 86-55.  

In the middle of a tight playoff race, Women's basketball hosted the Santa Ana Dons which was a part of a double-header feature with Men's basketball. The Women Rustlers came out strong with 13 unanswered points and held Santa Ana scoreless through the first five minutes of play. Golden West found themselves up 20-7 near the end of the first quarter. Kayla Terry had a successful first frame as she collected half of the teams points with ten by herself, two rebounds and a steal. Golden West finished the first frame on top of Santa Ana by 17 points, 27-10. 

To start the second quarter, Terry continued her offensive contributions and made it a 20 point lead for the Rustlers with a layup, 31-10. The Rustlers held a steady point advantage on top of the Dons to close out the first frame. Princess McCauley led the team with seven points in the second quarter as Ty Adams aided five points to the board. Golden West went into halftime up big and with momentum, 46-24. 

The home team did not hold back to start the second half as their lead only grew. Santa Ana kept up with the Rustlers in the third frame but the first half lead would keep the two teams separated. In the third, Kailah Ezaddin led Golden West in scoring with five points and Jesseah Ramriez aided her team with four assists. The Rustlers were up as the game headed to the final quarter of play, 63-39. Golden West achieved 70 points and later earned 80 points on the day in the overall team win. The Rustlers went on to defeat the Dons by over 30 points, 86-55. 

Terry had herself a successful night as she earned a double-double and led the Rustlers in points. She found the bucket for 24 points, came down with 15 rebounds and recorded two assists. McCauley was second in scoring with 20 points, two rebounds and six assists. Ramriez earned 13 points and assisted her teammates six times. The 30 point victory was a huge win for Golden West as they are in contention for a playoff spot late in the season and late in February.  

NEXT UP: The Rustlers will host their final regular season game of the 2023-24 season on Friday, February 23rd. Tipoff will take place at 7pm or 20 minutes after the conclusion of the Men's basketball game.