Orange Coast College

Pirates win 14th straight, clinch piece of OEC title

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

COSTA MESA - Sure, the Orange Coast College women's basketball team leads the state in team offense, but the defense ain't too shabby either.

Holding Irvine Valley to 31 percent shooting and forcing 30 turnovers, the Pirates clamped down on the visiting Lasers 74-38 to grab at least a share of the Orange Empire Conference crown.

The Pirates (25-3, 11-0), winners of 14 straight and ranked No. 4 in Southern California, hold a three-game lead over Fullerton with three games left. Any Pirate win or Hornet loss would give OCC its first outright conference title since 1998.

Courtney Ford led the Pirates with 16 points, nine rebounds and four steals. Robin Smith added 13 points and three steals, while Brittany Taylor (pictured left) added 10 points and four steals.

Kayla Acromite had 14 points to lead the Lasers (10-15, 2-9).

OCC took the lead from the opening whistle, jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the first two minutes and never looked back.

Leading by 13 at the half, the Pirates matched their defensive success with some offensive success, outscoring the Lasers 42-19 in the final 20 minutes, hitting 14 of 27 shots from the field and 11 of 12 free throws.

OCC will hit the road for the next two games, playing at Santa Ana on Friday and at Saddleback on Feb. 14, before wrapping up the regular season at home against Riverside. All three games are set to begin at 5:30 p.m.