Freshman guard Shakeena Benton scored 14 points and sophomore forward Talia Rayford added a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds to help lead the No. 6 state-ranked Long Beach City College women's basketball team to a 62-54 South Coast Conference win over rival Cerritos College on Friday at the LBCC Hall of Champions Gym.
The win was the sixth in a row for Long Beach and improved the Vikings' record 18-2 overall and 8-1 in the SCC while Cerritos dropped to 11-9 and 5-4 in conference play.
LBCC never trailed in the contest but had to hold numerous Cerritos rallies in the second to hang on for the victory.
Long Beach jumped out to an early 13-5 lead and was up 23-9 at the 11:4 mark in the first after an 8-0 run that included back-to-back three pointers by freshman Regina Romain.
Freshman Destinn Romain added a three-pointer of her own and a fastbreak layup after a steal by Rayford to cap an 8-2 run late in the first that gave the Vikings a 37-20 advantage with 3:10 to go.
The Vikings led 39-27 at halftime and after some poor shooting, allowed Cerritos to get back in the game.
A 5-0 run by the Falcons midway in the second got them within four points at 51-47 at the 6:44 mark. But a layup and a pair of free throws by Rayford gave the Vikings some breathing room before having to fight off one more rally by Cerritos.
With 1:28 remaining in the contest, Tache' King sank a deep three-pointer to get Cerritos once again within four points at 56-52. Cerritos was forced to foul on LBCC's next possessions and Benton was cool as ice down the stretch. She nailed six free throws over the final minute of the contest to seal the win for Long Beach.
Rayford had a big all-around game, posting four assists, four steals, and two blocks to go with her double-double. Sophomore forward Kaaron King added 10 points and nine rebounds.
Cerritos got 14 points from Marissa Rendon while Angela Pena added 12 points.
Long Beach returns to action on Wednesday (Jan. 30) at 5 p.m. when it travels to face Pasadena City College in a SCC game.
Photo by John Fajardo
