Vaqueros drop close one to Glendale, 65-61

Andrea Morales tossed in 17 points on Friday night and Paige Nealy had all 16 of her points in the second half but it wasn't enough as SBCC dropped a 65-61 decision to Glendale in the consolation quarterfinals of the Gilcrest Invitational at Sequoias.

Morales scored 12 in the opening half when Santa Barbara (2-6) took a 29-28 lead.

Nealy, a 6-1 freshman center from Santa Clarita, hit 6-8 from the field in the second half and 4-6 from the charity stripe. She also grabbed four rebounds in the second half. Stella Dulay added 15 points, including 2-3 from the 3-point line.

Darla Morales contributed eight points, eight rebounds and five assists. Victoria Jackson grabbed eight boards and handed out four assists.

"It was a close game all night," said coach Sandrine Krul. "When you have players crying after the game, that says a lot about them. They care so much and they give maximum effort. I love coaching this group and I know we're going to get better."

The Vaqueros took their biggest lead at 38-32 with 16:19 to play. Glendale (2-5) responded with a 13-0 run that produced a seven-point advantage, 45-38. SBCC chipped away and tied the game at 58 with 1:12 remaining, thanks to six straight points by Nealy.

Glendale reeled off five straight points and Santa Barbara got within two on a triple by Dulay with 0:23 showing before Glendale sealed it with two free throws.

The Vaqueros will open play in the Lady Bulldog Classic at Hancock on Thursday with a 3 p.m. game against Barstow.