Bey Leads Warriors to Win at Coast Christmas Classic Opener

Salihah Bey recorded another double-double to lead El Camino College to a 73-55 victory over Chaffey in the opening round of the Coast Christmas Classic hosted by Orange Coast College at the Basil Peterson Gym.

Bey led all scorers with 23 points and hauled in 13 rebounds to lead the Warriors (9-3). Ashley Nguyen scored 15 points and Erika Carson added a double-double of her own with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Makenna Peneueta led the team with 10 assists.

The Warriors led the Panthers (3-7) for all but 3:02 of game time on Monday evening.  The Panthers hit a 3-pointer for the first bucket of the game and led 6-2 before a layup from Nguyen tied things up with 6:58 left in the first quarter. It was part of a 12-0 scoring run in the period that would give the Warriors the lead for good as ECC led by as much as 22 points in the victory.

Bey finished the game 10-for-19 from the field and hit two of her three 3-point attempts. Carson had her best game of the season, contributing a game-high three blocks to go along with her double-double.

The Warriors shot 50.8 percent from the field as a team and outrebounded Chaffey 46-33. They also dished out 27 assists on 32 made baskets while dominating the paint, outscoring the Panthers 50-12 on the inside.

The Warriors will resume the Coast Christmas Classic on Thursday in the semifinals. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.