(San Marcos, CA) Sophomore forward Jade Hughes tallied a game-high 19 points and nine rebounds to lead Mt. SAC to a 56-47 non-conference win over host Palomar College.
Palomar (9-3) opened the game with a 5-0 run, only to see Mt. SAC (7-3) recapture the lead for good, 10-9, on a layup by freshman guard-forward Lauryn Manns with 4:52 left in the first quarter. Manns finished with 13 points and five rebounds.
Leading 12-9 going into the second, Mt. SAC held the Comets scoreless until the 1:43 mark, then went on a 14-0 run to open the gap to 30-12, at the intermission.
The Comets cut the Mounties' lead to nine, 43-34, with a 10-0 run late in the third, and to seven, 49-42, with 4:13 to play in the fourth, but Mt. SAC held on down the stretch for the win.
Freshman guard Julie Saelee led Palomar with 15 points off the bench, while teammate and sophomore forward Clarissa Taite added 12.
The Mounties outrebounded Palomar, 44-32, behind the efforts of sophomore guard Tiana Douglas' eight boards and sophomore guard-forward Kiara Stiger's seven.
Mt. SAC will open the Antelope Valley College Tournament (Lancaster, CA) against Barstow (4-8) on Friday (12/14), at 3 p.m.
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For additional information, please contact the Mt. SAC Sports Information Office at 909.274.4630.