Bobcats win first game in 1,350 days

The Saddleback women's basketball team opened the 2023-24 campaign with a 61-40 win over Grossmont College on Thursday at the Grossmont/Mesa Crossover Tournament.  The Bobcats will look to win their second straight on Friday.

Saddleback hadn't played a women's basketball game in 1,350 days, which was the end of the 2019-20 season.  They hadn't won a game since February 13 of 2020 when they picked up a forfeit win against Orange Coast College.  With the lingering effects of COVID-19 finally in the rear-view window, Saddleback finally had a chance to get back to playing hoops on Thursday.

Saddleback was eager to take the court and see what kind of team first year coach Mario Trutanic had built.  The first report was positive, as the Bobcats won their first game out of the gate.

Saddleback had a trio of players in double figures as Aleksia Gadea, Brianna Ruelas and Serenity Fields all scored 10-or-more points.  Gadea led the way, scoring a game-high 18 points while leading the team in steals (5) and assists (7).  Ruelas also had a great stat line, finishing with 16 points, five assists and four steals.  Fields was a machine inside, leading the team with nine rebounds.

Saddleback was particularly good at the free throw line, finishing 22-of-31 (71%) from the charity stripe.  The Bobcats also turned up the defensive pressure, holding Grossmont to 27.4% shooting from the field and 8.7% from three-point range.

Saddleback will look to improve to 2-0 on Friday when they travel to San Diego Mesa College to play the Olympians.  The tip-off time is scheduled for 2:00 PM.