Warriors Run Out of Gas in Loss to No. 3 Mount San Antonio

TORRANCE, Calif. – No. 15 El Camino College led by double digits in the second half but could not hold on as No. 3 Mount San Antonio scored a 71-57 victory over the Warriors Friday night at the ECC North Gym.

Kayla Bibb led the Warriors (12-6) with 23 points and nine rebounds while Amiete Nyingifa added 16 points and seven boards in the loss. Nao Shiota added nine points and a game-high 10 assists to go along with three steals.

For the Mounties (16-4), Jonnae Vermillion led the charge with 25 points and 10 rebounds with three assists, one block and one steal. Deja Siaki added 16 points in 24 minutes off the bench and Dominique McLaughlin poured in 13 points, nine rebounds and five assists in the win.

It was a tight game through three quarters as the teams were tied seven times and exchanged the lead on six occasions. The Warriors led by 11 with 3:15 left in the third quarter and held a 42-39 edge going into the fourth quarter.

But the Mounties dominated the final period, outscoring ECC 32-15 in the fourth. Siaki scored 13 of her 16 points in the period, going 3-for-3 from beyond the arc and a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe to lead the Mounties.

Bibb was excellent for the Warriors in the final period, going 4-for-4 from the field for eight of her 23 points but the Warriors committed three more turnovers than the Mounties in the fourth and hit just one of their four free throws. Meanwhile, the Mounties were 8-for-9 from the stripe in the fourth and 4-for-8 from beyond the arc.

For the game, the Mounties outrebounded the Warriors 42-27 including a 16-5 edge on the offensive glass. That proved crucial as the Mounties held a 16-3 advantage in second-chance points.

The Warriors will now head into South Coast Conference, South Division action as they host Long Beach City on Wednesday night at the ECC North Gym. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m.