Shiota Leads Warriors to Fourth Straight Victory

Nao Shiota led the offense and hit some clutch shots to lead El Camino College to its fourth straight victory, a 55-53 win over Antelope Valley Friday evening at Los Angeles Valley College.

Shiota poured in 19 points to lead the Warriors (4-0) and hit the game-winning layup with 33 seconds left in the game to lift ECC to victory. She went 6-for-9 from the field including a 3-for-4 night from beyond the arc to lead the Warriors offense in 32 minutes of action. Shiota also hit four free throws and snagged a team-high three steals.

Kayla Bibb added a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds while Amiete Nyingifa scored eight points with 10 rebounds.

For the Marauders, Deja Smith led the offense with 21 points and Shantanel Bivens added 12 points in the loss.

Both teams got off to a slow start, combining for just 18 points in the first period with ECC putting up just six points on the board after the initial 10 minutes. The Warriors would outscore the Marauders 20-10 in the second period to take a lead into the half but the teams went back-and-forth for the rest of the game with five ties and nine lead changes in the game.

The final minute of the contest featured the last two lead changes as the Marauders capped off an 8-0 scoring run on a 3-pointer by Brieanna Perkins to take a 53-52 lead with 1:51 left in regulation.

It took 1:18 for the next bucket to come and, luckily for the Warriors, it was Shiota that scored with a layup with 33 seconds left in the game to put the Warriors up 54-53. She drew a foul on the play but missed the free throw, giving the Marauders a chance to regain the lead but Smith missed a 3-pointer with 12 seconds left.

Nyingifa would grab the defensive rebound and, after a timeout, Bibb was fouled with seven seconds left. She hit one of her two free throws, giving AVC one last chance at tying things up or winning the game outright but Perkins missed a layup as time expired to give the Warriors a victory and continue their perfect start to the season.

The Warriors will face L.A. Valley on Saturday evening in their next game with tipoff set for 7 p.m.