SANTA ANA, Calif. - Selena Hernandez poured in a game high 26 points with seven made threes against the No. 19 ranked Irvine Valley Lasers (14-5, 2-1) on Wednesday night. But her performance alone was not enough as the Dons (5-12, 0-3) dropped the game by a score of 73-53.
Hernandez opened the game with a three on Santa Ana's first possession to give the Dons some confidence with an early lead. Unfortunately, that lead didn't last long as IVC responded with the next two buckets, taking the lead back for good.
Although SAC was down by as much as 21, they continued to battle and clawed back to cut the deficit to 12 (56-44) with 5:13 left in the fourth.
After a timeout, Irvine Valley found a way to stop the run and push the lead back up to 20, giving Santa Ana their third loss in Orange Empire Conference play.
Sophia Escalante got into double-digits with 10 points while adding seven rebounds, five assists, two steals and a couple blocks. Sarah Henry contributed with seven points and four blocks while Brianna Urena recorded five points, five rebounds and three assists.
The Dons will try for their first win in OEC play again on Friday night when they host Fullerton at 6:00 p.m.