Taft College Cougars Women's Basketball Suffers First Loss of the Season

The match began with the Vaqueros taking an early lead, highlighted by a layup from Milan Jackson. Despite a three-pointer from Madyn Kassatly, which brought some momentum to the Cougars, Santa Barbara held a commanding 11-point lead midway through the first period. By the end of the first quarter, the Vaqueros led 22-12, with Jessica Chiniquy making a notable layup just before the buzzer.

Santa Barbara continued to extend their lead in the second quarter with a three-pointer by Siena Hoban. Taft's defense struggled to contain the Vaqueros, although the Cougars managed several steals. By halftime, the score was Santa Barbara 35, Taft 23.

In the third quarter, Santa Barbara quickly widened their lead, achieving their largest lead of 17 points. Taft responded with defensive efforts and steals from Laila Gines and Brooklyn Larsen, but could only narrow the gap to 55-42 by the quarter's end.

The final quarter saw consistent pressure from Santa Barbara, maintaining a solid lead over Taft. Despite several takeaways and increased scoring from Taft, the final score was 74-62 in favor of Santa Barbara. Key performers for the Cougars included Madyn Kassatly, who led the team with 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Kimiko Kennedy, contributing 12 points and 8 rebounds.

The loss brings Taft's season record to 12-1, indicating a strong performance overall despite the setback. The Cougars will look to bounce back in their upcoming games, utilizing the experiences from this challenging encounter.