After winning their first seven games of the season and holding the #2 ranking in the state, the Cerritos College women’s basketball team suffered their first loss of the season, as Fullerton posted a 75-57 win last Saturday night. The loss came after the Falcons (7-1) defeated Cypress, 69-50.

This weekend Cerritos will compete in the College of the Sequoias Tournament, with their first game slated for Thursday.

Playing without starting forward LaVonne Amete, the Falcons lacked an extra rebounding force, as the Hornets pulled down 47 boards, compared to just 29 for the Falcons. In addition, Fullerton connected on 25-of-49 field goals (.510), while Cerritos made good on just 23-of-58 (.397) on the night.

Despite their troubles from the field and on the boards, Cerritos was able to stay close and trailed only 25-23 at halftime. However, several offensive fouls, along with the success of Fullerton at the free throw line, allowed them to pull away for the win. The Falcons went to the free throw line only eight times, making five, while Fullerton connected on 23-of-37 from the charity stripe.

Sophomore guard Marci Wong (Mark Keppel) did her best to try and bring the team back, as she netted 15 points, eight assists and three steals, while the duo of Tiffany Amete and Melissa Box each added 11 points. Box and freshman forward Claudia Rodriguez led the team with six rebounds each.

In the win over Cypress, Wong drained 4-of-7 shots, including three three-pointers, en route to 16 points, four assists and four steals, as the Falcons pulled away from a tough Charger team. Sophomore Nicole McCarthy also hit three treys, as she added 11 points, with Amete (seven rebounds) and freshman Jennifer Weathers (Long Beach Jordan) each scoring eight points.