MPC women's basketball loses to Mission, but still has shot at title

An up-tempo offense is part of the game plan.

As long as it's under control.

Losing its rhythm in the first half meant climbing out of a deep hole for Monterey Peninsula College.

"We can't give up 48 points in the first half,'' MPC women's basketball coach Wendy Bates said.

But MPC did.

The end result was not what the Lobos had hoped for Wednesday, falling out of first place after a 75-69 loss to defending Coast Conference champion Mission College.

"We have to put this behind us,'' MPC freshman Darjhian Tennant said. "We can't let this loss affect us. We're still in it. We still control our fate.''

True.

The Lobos (16-7, 7-2) sit just a game behind De Anza, who they visit on Friday. Earlier this year, MPC knocked the Dons from the unbeaten ranks in conference play with a 63-56 win.

"The last time we were in this position, we went on a five-game winning streak,'' Bates said. "I reminded the girls that we only need to win the final three this time.''

For just the second time all year, the Lobos, who are chasing the program's first ever conference title, lost a home game.

At one point, MPC was staring at a 15-point deficit in the first half.

"Yeah, we dug ourselves a pretty big hole,'' Bates said. "But with this group, we never feel like we are out of it.''

In part, because the Lobos have the ammunition to come back quickly.

And MPC did in the second half on the strength of Tennant in the paint and Felicia Villarruel on the outside, getting as close as two points.

Tennant, who was matched up most of the game against a 6-foot-5 post, produced 26 points while Villarruel had 22 points on four 3-pointers.

"We settled down a little bit in the second half,'' Bates said. "But we missed some key shots down the stretch. We couldn't knock down that the one big shot.''

Tennant, the Gabilan Division Player of the Year last year at North Salinas, nearly single handedly kept the Lobos in the game in the first half with 17 points by being fearless in the post.

"That motivated me to go up against someone that big,'' said Tennant, who stands 5-10. "I had to go at her. I felt like I could utilize my quickness.''

At one point, Tennant had six straight points, igniting a 10-2 run in the second half that got the Lobos back in the game.

Villarruel then warmed to the rims, rolling to the left side of the perimeter, finding her comfort zone from beyond the 3-point arc, knocking down three shots to cut the deficit to 67-65 with 4:31 remaining.

"Each time we got close, we either missed a shot or didn't take care of the ball,'' Bates said.

The Lobos never got any closer than three points in the final minutes as they had no answer to 6-foot-5 Gabbi Ludwig, who came into the game averaging 18 points and 16 rebounds a game.

"She changes the game with her size,'' Bates said.

As disruptive as Ludwig was in the paint, the Lobos were their own worst enemy in the first half with turnovers, enabling the Saints to produce layups.

"We got caught playing Mission basketball instead of Lobo basketball,'' Bates said. "We were trying to run at their pace. Their speed affected us.''

Despite Tennant producing nine of the team's first 11 points, MPC found itself starring at a 14-point deficit 10 minutes into the game.

"We were just trying to play fast,'' Tennant said. "We are an up-tempo team. But we were not always under control. Mission's pressure on defense got to us in the first half.''

When Villarruel, a Soledad High graduate, opened the second half with a 3-point basket, the Lobos had life back in their legs. Tennant and Kelsey Robledo took turns popping shots off the glass.

And the Lobos played better defense with Kyana Rivera and Carrie Anne Allegri putting pressure at the top, taking Mission out of its rhythm for a stretch in the second half.

"What we talked about after the game is how will we respond on Friday?'' Bates said.

John Devine can be reached at 646-4405 and jdevine@montereyherald.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnjdevine.