SANTA ANA, Calif. – Santa Ana women's basketball opened Orange Empire Conference play with a dominant 85-40 win over Saddleback College on Wednesday night.
From the tip, the Dons used their stifling defense to leap out to a 29-1 lead with 1:09 remaining in the first quarter. They stayed in control with a one point advantage in the second quarter, taking a 43-18 lead into the break.
Sophomore guard Lexi Ross began the second half with three consecutive buckets for Santa Ana, helping the Dons pick up where they left off.
At the end of the night, SAC ran away with the win as they outscored the Gauchos 42-22 in the second half.
The Dons got a huge boost from their bench in this one, as eight players combined for 52 points. Nicole Robles came off the bench to lead all scorers with 13 points while Brianna Aluva recorded 11 points and six boards. Jayme Ehlert, Shayla Sweet, Cheryl Caldera and Emily Newkirk went for six points each to add to the bench scoring. Ross finished with 12 points while the rest of the starters combined for 22.
UP NEXT: Santa Ana will travel to Riverside for another Orange Empire Conference match-up against the Tigers on Friday. Tipoff is set for 5:00 p.m.