No. 16 Bulldogs Advance to Second Round of SoCal Regional Playoffs

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - The No. 16-seeded Allan Hancock College women's basketball team punched its ticket to the second round of the SoCal Regional Playoffs following a 65-53 victory over No. 17-seeded Victor Valley College on Tuesday evening inside of the Joe White Memorial Gymnasium. | BOX SCORE

This marks the second consecutive season that the Bulldogs have advanced to the second round after also moving on in 2020. Coach Nerelli's squad improves to an overall record of 18-11 while the Rams close the season with a 20-8 mark. 

The Bulldogs held the momentum for the majority of the game after outscoring Victor Valley in three of the four quarters. Gameplay was tight throughout the first frame as teams saw five ties and three lead changes, but Hancock began to pull away in the second quarter and held a 33-21 advantage at the intermission. The home squad stretched the lead to 17 with two minutes remaining in the third frame, marking their largest lead of the game, and cruised through to the end. Solid defense from the Bulldogs limited VVC, who entered the contest with the best shooting percentage in the state, to just a 30.4 percent mark from the floor. The Bulldogs also held a +10 advantage on the boards and registered 28 points in the paint. 

Jayci Bayne overcame an 0-for-7 start to lead all scorers on the night en route to a double-double performance. She notched 26 points in the contest, which included six made shots from long range, and grabbed 14 rebounds. Bayne also stuffed the stat sheet by chipping in with six assists and three steals. Jewelia Maniss and Kayla Taylor each registered 10 points apiece, followed by Carlissa Solorio who tacked on eight. Maniss also secured a double-double after nabbing 11 rebounds to go along with four steals and four assists. Alexandria Paquet rounded out the top performers by dishing out a team-best mark of seven assists. 

The Bulldogs will now travel to face off against No. 1-seeded Mt. San Antonio College on Thursday, March 3rd. The road test is set to tip-off at 7 PM in Walnut, Calif. The winner of that event will advance to round three and face the winner of the No. 8 Bakersfield/No. 9 Long Beach contest on March 5th.