From the sports archives: College of San Mateo women hold off winless Allen Hancock

In other words, they schedule the easiest opponent in hopes of reaching the championship game. College of San Mateo women's basketball coach Michelle Warner isn't one of them. But this year, judging by the records at least, Allan Hancock of Santa Maria -- CSM's opening-round foe -- entered Friday's game with a less than flattering 0-10 record.

Warner always schedules Allan Hancock because the two tend to play competitive games, and this one was no different. CSM was in the fight for its life before pulling away late for a 73-67 victory in the CSM Bulldog Invitational Tournament. CSM (7-4) plays Santa Monica -- which was a 99-41 winner over Merritt Saturday at 7 p.m. in a semifinal. Once the final horn sounded to Friday night's game, Warner and her players breathed a sigh of relief.

It's understandable. CSM wanted no part in losing to a winless squad, much less one that's now 0-11. CSM started off well enough, taking a 12-5 lead on Claudia Tatola's layup and free throw to complete a 3-point play with 15 minutes left in the first half. It looked as if CSM was going to do what it was supposed to do against a winless team -- bury it into submission.

It didn't happen. Allan Hancock went on a 10-5 run to whittle its deficit to two points, and stayed within five points for the rest of the half before taking its only lead of the game when Monica Valencia connected on a putback at the first-half buzzer, making it 32-30.

CSM came out of the break strong, scoring the first seven points, capped by two Hazel Mauk free throws.

But every time CSM looked as if it was going to pull away, Allan Hancock came back. CSM actually played its best when the game was close, answering every Allan Hancock run. Nancy Chicas' driving layup gave CSM a 53-44 lead with 12:14 remaining. But Allan Hancock responded with a 9-3 run to get back to within striking distance.

Allan Hancock got to within one point, at 68-67, with 1:29 left, but that's as close as it would get. Tatola and Mauk hit back-to-back layups to seal the outcome. Allan Hancock misfired on their final four shots to give CSM some breathing room.

What made the win all the more impressive was an already thin CSM squad -- there's only eight players on the roster -- lost two of its best players to foul trouble.

Chicas was impressive in scoring 16 points before fouling out with 10:19 to go. Paini struggled mightily from the offensive end, but still provided toughness in the paint and strong defense before fouling out with 2:24 remaining. Tatola (17 points) led CSM's balanced scoring attack, Nadia Yuen finished with 15 points and Mauk 14. Milly Filikitonga added 15 rebounds.

"It was a little too close for comfort," Warner said. "I think we were a little rusty (CSM last played Dec. 3). It's nice to win at home. We're hoping to get back in the championship game. This was a good test. No matter what their record is whenever we play Allan Hancock it's always a battle. I don't set up tournaments like most hosts do.

"We got a little frustrated with some of the calls, but we finished strong. To me, we've always had the pieces but didn't always jell so well. This team is different because the ladies step up when they're disciplined or criticized and that's how you get better as a team."

CSM has a lot of big bodies, and it paid off in that it grabbed a whopping 22 offensive rebounds to Allan Hancock's 10. At 7-4, CSM is off to its best start in years. But with only eight players, it can ill afford to lose any players to foul trouble, let alone injuries. Still, there's plenty of optimism surrounding CSM. After taking last year off, Chicas is back and better than ever.

The quick and elusive 5-foot-5 point guard provides stability, the ability to get to the basket off dribble penetration and an outside shooting touch. She nearly recorded a triple double, finishing with eight rebounds and seven assists. After reaching the title game of its tournament last year, CSM is hoping to win it all this season. This is the sixth year the tournament has been contested, and Reedley has won it the previous five times.

Emanuel Lee can be reached by e-mail: emanuel@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344 5200, ext. 109.