OC Women’s basketball opens up season with a back and forth shoot-out in the fourth quarter, to shutdown the Victor Valley Rams.

Solid play from sophomore Nikki Tauau with 19 pts, 10 of those crucial to the Condors second half comeback, and new addition, sophomore from Ventura Samantha Strang’s two defensive steals in the final 3 min. put OC in place to capture the first win of the season.

Nikki Tauau after the game had this to say about the final moments and what held the team together.

“A second wind,” said Tauau. “Everyone stepped it up at the end defensively, we weren’t making shots so we had to pull through defensively.”

Samantha Strang’s play, a 6′ guard whose added presence on the outside brought Victor Valley to a standstill on outside shooting, is a new addition to the Condors women’s basketball team coming from Ventura College.

“The longer we play the more were going to get to know each other and we’ll come together,” said Strang in regards to the new team.

The Condors made second half adjustments in defense going from a zone, to man to man, which created more defensive opportunities and closed off the outside to a shooter heavy Victor Valley.

Coach Phil Sherman, now in his fifth year as Women’s Head Basketball Coach for Oxnard College, elaborated on the differences his team made in the second half to pull away in the end.

“We figured out that this was gonna be defensive from here on out, so we had to make some switches to man to man, and cut off the dribbling lanes,” said Sherman. “We also wanted to get the ball to our all league player, Nikki, and play the angles that get you there.”

Nikki Tauau drew critical free throws in the final seconds to put the Condors up 62-60. Victor Valley attempted to respond but frantically turned over the ball forcing them to foul, allowing OC to put the icing on the cake on a clutch free throw from Mariah Ladd making the final 63-60.

OC’s next game is again against Victor Valley on Nov 13. In Victor Valley.