At one point in their 73-61 South Coast Conference South Division opener at El Camino College on Wednesday, the Cerritos College women's basketball team was leading, 41-27 in the third quarter. Although the host Warriors (4-15, 0-1) were able to get as close as 48-44 with :30 seconds left in the quarter, the Falcons were able to close out the game by converting 12-of-17 free throws in the fourth quarter.

It was a layup with 6:38 left in the third quarter that put the Falcons (9-11, 1-0) in front, 41-27. After a 7-0 El Camino run, freshman Siara Avila (Downey HS) put an end to that with a three-pointer, while sophomore Ashley Miller (Paramount HS) connected on one of her own late in the quarter. 

With 10:00 remaining, Cerritos was holding on to a 49-44 lead and after sophomore Cynthia Alamanzar (John Glenn HS) converted a pair of free throws, followed by a bucket from Avila, it was a 55-46 advantage. El Camino would only get as close as seven points (59-52) with 3:28 remaining, as the Falcons made good on 10-of-12 free throws the rest of the way.

Miller led the team with 14 points, seven steals and five rebounds, with freshman Damarie Saldivar (Paramount HS) accounting for 13 points, five steals and four rebounds in a winning cause. The balance continued with sophomore Brianna Flores (Norwalk HS) posting 11 points, five rebounds and four steals, with freshman Miah Nayback (La Serna HS) coming off the bench to add nine points, four assists and three steals. As a team, Cerritos forced 24 steals and turned 27 El Camino turnovers into 28 points.

Cerritos will host Long Beach City College at 5:00 p.m. on Friday.