Trailing by six points in the third quarter, 32-26 with 6:02 remaining, the Cerritos College women's basketball team went on a 16-2 run the rest of the quarter on their way to a 59-43 win over visiting West Los Angeles College on Wednesday. The win was the first of the season for the Falcons (1-2), who will now travel to Southwestern College for a 2:00 p.m. non-conference game on Friday.

Sophomore guard Lauryn Nakamura (Cypress HS) scored the first seven points during the comeback, while freshman forward Carissa Basurto (El Rancho HS) knocked down a three-pointer to open a 36-32 advantage. After a pair of Wildcats (0-4) free throws, freshman forward Destiny Elmore (La Mirada HS) drained a baseline three-pointer before Nakamura capped off the scoring in the quarter with a layup. During that run, West Los Angeles went 0-for-7 from the field with four turnovers.

The Falcons extended their lead to 45-36 early in the fourth quarter after Elmore was good on another long distance jumper, while a pair of layups from freshman guard Justine Lucero (South El Monte HS) extended the advantage to 49-36 with 7:03 left on the clock. Lucero then added another bucket and then a three-pointer for the largest lead of the game for Cerritos, 59-43, which is how the game ended.

Lucero scored a season-high 17 points, with Nakamura adding 16 points, six rebounds, six assists and four steals. Freshman Emily Gonzalez (La Mirada HS) pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds, with Elmore posting 10 points and seven rebounds off the bench.

Photos by Daryl Peterson