The women's basketball brought in their first season win on Friday evening. The Vikings took down the Antelope Valley College Marauders 54-51 in a nail-biting home opener in the Hall of Champions. With the win the Vikings advance to 1-2 overall.
The Vikings took the lead initially in the first quarter. Sophomore Imani Edmond was first on the board with a jumper with the assist from freshman Khadijah Henry. Then sophomore Rosalinda Taosoga hit her first three pointer of the game. The Vikings ended the first quarter with the 12-8 lead.
In the second quarter, the Vikings kept their lead with sophomore Kaylin Brown scoring four points and sophomore Taja Ward hitting three out of four free throws.
After halftime, the Vikings were ready for more as sophomore Naomi Winston-Ellis hit five points in the third quarter and sophomore De'Brianna Hampton took a stand at the hoop with three rebounds. In total, Hampton led the team with nine rebounds and three assists. Long Beach finished the quarter still ahead 40-33.
The Marauders tied the game 51-51 with 20 seconds left in the game. Then freshman Jasmeemah Martinez hit a free throw to take back the lead for the Vikings. Martinez led the team with 11 total points and had seven rebounds. Winston-Ellis was next on the line and made back-to-back free throws with five seconds left in the game to seal the 54-51 win for the Vikings.
