GCC can’t gain win

GLENDALE — Glendale Community College women’s basketball Coach Monica Hang explained her team’s struggles in the second half of Saturday’s game by stating that the Vaqueros were fatigued from trying to erase a 13-point deficit.

Susana Rascon, Hang’s starting guard, was more candid.

“We fell apart,” the sophomore said.

The Vaqueros rallied behind Rascon to take a second-half lead, but Glendale College’s poor shot selection and lapses on defense allowed visiting Los Angeles Valley College to escape with a 52-48 Western State Conference Southern Division victory.

“We seemed anxious in the second half, like we did in the beginning of the game,” Rascon said.

At the outset of the game, the Vaqueros (9-13, 2-5 in the division) seemed sluggish as well.

Glendale College was scoreless for the first five minutes of the half, missing six straight shots and committing seven turnovers. L.A. Valley (6-14, 3-4) took advantage of the Vaqueros’ sloppy play, building a 16-3 lead just 10 minutes into the contest.

“We didn’t play defense,” said Rascon, explaining the Monarchs’ 40% (10 for 25) shooting performance in the first half. “Our shots weren’t falling. There were little mistakes.”

The Vaqueros’ turnaround started with their defense.

Glendale College, which defeated L.A. Valley, 46-41, in the conference opener on Jan. 6, switched from a man-to-man defense to a zone set.

Rascon benefited from the change, as she hassled the Monarchs en route to picking up five steals.

The Vaqueros scored 13 unanswered points to take a 33-31 lead five minutes into the second half. Rascon had seven of those points and Kendra Carter, a sophomore out of Burbank High, had six.

Carter, the Vaqueros’ leading scorer and rebounder this season, finished with a game-high 16 points and five rebounds and Rascon had 14 points, four rebounds and three assists.

“Everyone started protecting the blocks and contesting the shots,” Rascon said. “Our shots started falling. Our passing was consistent and our shots were consistent.”

But Glendale College reverted to its bad habits with 10 minutes left.

It went scoreless for five minutes, as the Monarchs scored eight unanswered points to make the score 45-40. L.A. Valley, which was led by Porcha Davis’ 15 points, made its free throws down the stretch and Glendale College didn’t have many more answers.

Rascon said she knew the Vaqueros would come back. The comeback wasn’t a surprise.

“But,” Rascon said, “the loss was a surprise.”