Fresh off its upset over Mt. San Antonio College, The Pasadena City College women's basketball team and head coach Joe Peron decided it would change up its tactics at Chaffey Friday night. Instead of focusing on getting the ball immediately to its Twin Tower post duo of Alisa Shinn and Mercy Odima, the Lancers worked the perimeter on offense.
While Chaffey stayed close with PCC throughout the contest, the Lancers found the best way to distance themselves from the Panthers was to shoot from long distance. Elise Ortega hit five 3-pointers, including a bomb from the corner with a minute remaining as Pasadena won the South Coast Conference North Division battle, 56-50.
Trailing by two with 2:32 left, Samaiyah Abdullah hit a turn-around, 3-pointer from the top of the circle that gave PCC a 48-47 lead. With 1:30 to go, it was Odima hitting a layup that gave PCC its final lead at 51-49. Ortega's final trey extended it to 54-50 as key insurance points.
Overall, PCC converted 8-for-27 from long range, the most 3s by the team in the last 14 games. While Ortega finished with 15 points, Shinn had another sound overall performance with 18 points, a modest six rebounds, but a fine passing contest with six assists. Although outstanding again on defense, Odima was hardly a factor overall as she finished with eight points and only nine rebounds. Guard Jade Lin did well with nine points, five rebounds and three steals.
Pasadena (14-10 overall, 2-2 in conference) led 13-9 after one quarter and 31-22 by halftime. The Lancers went cold in the third quarter and ended a drought of eight minutes, 34 seconds (going back to the second period) without scoring on an Odima layup. The basket stopped a 10-0 Chaffey rally. An Ortega swish for 3 made it 38-34 Lancers with 13 seconds left in the period. In the fourth quarter, Ortega and Lin hit early 3-pointers for a 45-41 advantage.
The last time neither Shinn or Odima reached double figures in rebounds was Dec. 15 v. Mt. San Jacinto.
Peron picked up career victory No. 498 as he inches closer to the coveted 500-win mark in his 22-year Lancers head coaching career.
PCC will host Rio Hondo on Wednesday, Jan. 31 in a 5 p.m. conference tip-off at Hutto-Patterson Gymnasium.