King’s monster game lifts Vaqueros over Cuesta in WSC opener

Destinee King poured in a career-high 31 points with 17 rebounds, six blocks, four assists and three steals on Saturday night as SBCC rallied for an 80-71 victory in its WSC North women's basketball opener at Cuesta.

King, a 6-foot sophomore from Antelope, Calif., tallied 21 of her 31 points in the second half. It was the seventh straight double-double for King, whose previous high was 30 points vs. Hancock on Jan. 6, 2016. The Vaqueros (11-6, 1-0) overcame a 20-14 first-quarter deficit to capture their fourth straight win and eighth in 10 games.

Alyssa Cosio added 17 points and six rebounds on 7-16 shooting, including 3-8 from long range. Jocelin Petatan came off the bench to score nine points with a season-high 12 rebounds and eight assists. Liliana Ponce added eight points, three rebounds and three assists.

SBCC enjoyed a 42-26 advantage in the middle two quarters. The Vaqueros endede the first half on an 11-0 run to take a 33-31 lead into the locker room.

Taylor Neal led four Cuesta players in double figures with 18 points and eight rebounds. The Cougars are 11-8 and 0-1.

"We beat a quality team by battling when things weren't going our way and our shots weren't falling," said coach Sandrine Krul. "We stuck to the game play and our 2-and-2 philosophy. Our press was effective and really worked well in the third quarter."

The Vaqueros fell behind 31-22 in the second quarter, then ended the first half on an 11-0 run with Cosio hitting a pair of 3-pointers. Cuesta tied the game at 35, then the Vaqueros went on an 8-0 burst with King scoring the first two baskets and Ponce the next two.

The Vaqueros went ahead by 13 points (55-42) on a free throw by King, then took a 10-point lead (56-46) into the final quarter.

Both teams shot 39 percent but the Vaqueros dominated the boards 60-30. They're outrebounded 11 straight opponents and 15 of 16 this season. The Vaqueros are ranked No. 2 in California in rebound average (52.4) and rebound margin (18.8).

Santa Barbara hosts Oxnard on Wednesday in a 7 p.m. WSC contest.