Freshman Miranda Martinez (El Dorado HS) scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds to help lead Long Beach City College to a 56-46 win over visiting Cerritos College at the LBCC Hall of Champions Gym on Wednesday. With the victory, the Vikings took over first place in the South Coast Conference South Division at 4-0 and improved to 21-4 overall.
Long Beach, ranked No. 3 in Southern California, led for the majority of the contest. The Vikings were up 24-21 at halftime and held a 38-35 lead heading into the final quarter. In the fourth, Cerritos rallied to tie up the game at 44-44 with 3:25 left in regulation. However, the tenth-ranked Falcons (19-8, 3-1) were only able to score two points over the remainder of the game. Cerritos made just 1 of 11 shots from the field, while the Vikings converted 11 of 14 free throws down the stretch to secure the victory.
Freshman Sopavy Seng (Poly HS) added 12 points for Long Beach while sophomore Taylor Smith (Redondo Union HS) chipped in with six points and seven rebounds.
Allyson O'Brien led Cerritos (18-9, 3-1 SCC) with 10 points.
The Vikings, who have now won six straight games, return to action next Friday (Feb. 12) at 5 p.m. when they host El Camino College in a SCC South game.
