Orange Coast College

Women's Basketball: Pirates claim OEC title with win over Dons

Friday, February 09, 2007

SANTA ANA - Considering all of the postseason success the Pirates have had lately, it's hard to believe it's been nine years since the women's basketball team has won an Orange Empire Conference title.

That drought was washed away on Friday night as the Pirates topped Santa Ana 64-50 for the team's first outright OEC crown since the 1997-98 season.

"A lot of second-place finishes," OCC head coach Mike Thornton said with a smile. "We've had success, but there's always been a team ahead of us."

With first place officially wrapped up, the focus for the fourth-ranked Pirates (26-3, 12-0 in conference) is to maintain their high level of play, stay as healthy as possible and if all goes well, shoot for the team's first 14-0 conference record in school history.

Courtney Ford (pictured right) led the Pirates with 20 points and eight rebounds. Devin Hundley added 10 points and six rebounds, while Robin Smith added nine points and four assists. Point guard Rachael Maulit dished out eight assists and added four steals.

OCC's defense held the Dons (18-10, 7-5) to 21.4 percent shooting in the first half, giving the Pirates a 36-19 halftime lead.

Despite a chilly night shooting from the field (38.2 percent), the Pirates kept the Dons' shooting even colder at 28.1 percent for the night.

Whitney Ligon led the Dons with 15 points, while Heather Couzens added 10 points and 13 rebounds.

OCC will play at Saddleback on Wednesday before wrapping up the regular season at home against Riverside. Both games are set to begin at 5:30 p.m.