COLLEGE BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : Ventura Wins Moorpark Title for Third Consecutive Season

A Ventura run makes for a Ventura cruise.

The Ventura College men’s basketball team used a 20-4 run in a 10-minute span in the second half and cruised to a 73-53 victory, clinching the championship of the Moorpark College tournament for the third consecutive season, the first team in the tournament’s 25-year history to do so.

“We felt it was just a matter of time before we picked up the intensity and put some distance between us,” Ventura Coach Philip Mathews said.

Led by tournament MVP Brandon Jessie’s 22 points and six rebounds, the Pirates (9-1) held a 31-25 halftime lead before pulling away. Jessie is the first player in the history of the tournament to be named MVP in successive years.

“At halftime, I decided we should play zone (defense) and that was the wrong call,” Oxnard Coach Ron McClurkin said. “They got rolling and you can’t give Ventura six or seven straight points. All you can do is hope to keep it close and try to beat them at the buzzer.”

The Condors (3-5) kept close on the Pirates’ heels in the first half, tying the score, 14-14 midway through the half.

Ventura increased its winning streak to eight. D’mitri Rideout added 14 points and Joey Ramirez 12. Wendell Nunnery led Oxnard with 14 points.

After Oxnard forward Tim Nunnery made a three-point shot to tie the score, 14-14, midway through the first half, the Pirates reeled off a 17-9 run and took a 31-23 halftime lead.

In another Moorpark tournament game:

Moorpark 85, Compton 71--Guard Sean Martin scored 29 points and center Paul Foster had 14 points and 10 rebounds as the Raiders (7-3) took third place.

Moorpark started the game with 11 consecutive points and led from wire to wire. Jamie Jaquez and Danny Alexander each added 12 points for the Raiders.

WOMEN

CS Northridge 79, Nevada 66--Maureen Batiste and Carrie Dormine each scored 18 points and Shannon Crouse added 17 to lead the host Matadors to their first victory.

Point guard Kris Waldorf scored nine points, all on free throws, and led Northridge (1-3) with six assists. Nevada (1-1) was led by Kelli Daffity, who scored 21 points and grabbed six rebounds.

The Matadors shot 51.1% from the field, including six of 10 three-point shots, while holding Nevada to 38.5% from the field.

San Francisco State 81, Cal Lutheran 72--Host San Francisco State scored the first nine points of the second half to defeat Cal Lutheran in a nonconference game and spoil a 27-point performance by Regal center Kelli McCaskill.

Cal Lutheran (2-3) trailed, 43-41, at halftime despite shooting only 33% in the first half. McCaskill had 13 rebounds, Darcy White had 10 points and 10 rebounds and Nicole Albert scored 16 points. Diana Cortez added 15 assists.