The Long Beach City College women's basketball team looked to keep its winning streak alive by facing off against the ECC-Compton Tartars in conference action Wednesday night on home hardwood. After a slow first half, the Vikings picked up their offensive momentum and defensive play and hauled in a 63-48 victory.
Freshman guard Alexis Camarena (Ventura, CA) got the scoring going for the Vikings in the game by drilling a thee pointer to hand them an early advantage. Freshman guard Janay Wellington (S.D. Paradise Hills, CA) followed possessions later by banking two points in off the glass, backed by a jumper from sophomore center Miranda Martinez (Placentia, CA). Martinez later added another jumper, followed by a three pointer from sophomore guard Vivian Hernandez (Downey, CA) to bring the score to 14-17 at the end of the first stanza.
Hernandez continued to shoot well from downtown by drilling two three pointers in a row, with one being assisted by freshman guard Tiana Augustus (Long Beach, CA). Wellington added two free throws and Martinez hit a jumper to end the low-scoring second quarter leading into halftime.
The Vikings made significant halftime adjustments and made a solid push at the Tartars. Augustus began to find her rhythm with a layup. The free throw line was hot for Long Beach, as they went 4-for-6 from the line in a three minute span. Augustus continued to work the lanes for two more buckets, leading to an open three for Hernandez who snapped the bottom of the net to give the Vikings a 39-38 lead and a four-point advantage at the end of the third quarter.
Camarena began to steal the show by being effective in numerous areas of the court. She began by hitting a three pointer and driving the lane the following possession to punch her ticket to the charity stripe for two points. Martinez located her a handful of possession later on a drive-and-dish and she converted another triple. She went on to add another long range shot and a layup en route to a 63-48 win.
Camerena paced LBCC with a season-high 17 points on a 3-for-8 night from beyond the arc. Augustus came on strong late in the game to score 16 points and haul in eight rebounds, backed by a 14 point effort from Hernandez.
The Vikings will travel to LA Harbor on Friday night for a conference matchup starting at 7 p.m.