The San Diego Mesa College women's basketball team finished 2-1 at the Santa Ana College Tournament placing 3rd after defeating Santa Ana College 65-43 on Saturday. After losing to Riverside College on Friday, where the Olympians were out-rebounded 30-59, the coaching staff emphasized the need to secure rebounds and make better decisions with the ball. 

"Tonight's win was a total team effort," states head coach Lindsay Samaniego. "We executed very well against their zone and got contributions from a variety of players. Our goal was to win the rebounds tonight and we were able to achieve that. We're proud of our effort and happy to have gone 2-1 over a tough three-days." The women's program often plays well at this tournament having captured the consolation championship in 2019. 

The Olympians were able to out-rebound the Dons 56-35 with toughness and aggressively boxing out. The other major improvements were 22 second chance points and 23 points contributed by the bench.

Once again led by Gwen Morris-Lundstrom, who was named on the all-tournament team, finished with 14-points, 13 rebounds, and 4 assists. Niki Madgedi added 13-points and 8 rebounds. Mackenzee Purnell contributed with 7-points and 8 rebounds. Emma Fitzgerald turned in 8 total points, converting on two 3-pointers. Unlike previous games in which the Olympians would give their opponent an opportunity to climb back into the game, the team continued to play sound basketball and in the 4th quarter built a 25-point lead. 

The team will be back on the road to take on Rio Hondo College on Wednesday, December 7. The Roadrunners are currently 6-4 and have been averaging 67.1 points per game in the South Coast Conference. In order to continue the success from this weekend's tournament, the team needs to continue making good decisions with the ball, but most important play together and have fun. "This was a good tournament for us and we learned a lot," adds Samaniego. "We made better decisions, we rebounded, and we played together. I reminded them to remember how this feels and that we should recognize not just our individual achievements, but also what we accomplished as a team."