FINAL SCORE — Ventura 67, Saddleback 51

SECOND HALF
0:05 — 67-51 — Pysar 3-pointer.
0:15 — 67-48 — Hicks scores inside.
— The crowd rises up for a VC cheer!
1:30 — 63-48 — Paopao strokes a 3-pointer
1:56 — 63-45 — The roof comes off. Defensive plays spark three straight VC layups, including two Trout breakaways, to force a Saddleback timeout in a defending atmophere.
3:39 — 57-45 — Two Conklin free throws.
3:56 — 55-45 — Freshman reserve Marissa Douglas ducks inside for two.
4:40 — 55-43 — Trout makes one of two free throws.
5:19 — 54-43 — Kaljo responds with a 3-pointer after Santizo gets her own rebound.
5:38 — 51-43 — Coble buries a 3-pointer
6:04 — 51-40 — Kaljo makes one of two free throws.
6:04 — 50-40 — Kaleopa scores, Ventura calls timeout.
7:13 — Coble misses the front end of a one and one.
7:35 — 50-38 — Jones gets her first field goal of the second half.
8:37 — 50-36 — Alexis Coble produces a 3-point play for Saddleback.
8:59 — 50-33 — Kaljo makes two free throws.
9:08 — 48-33 — Paopoa makes one of two free throws.
9:27 — 48-32 — Kaljo gets a runner to go down.
10:42 — 46-32 — Wong makes a nice move to the basket and finishes with a pretty scoop.
— Saddleback calls timeout.
11:58 — 44-32 — Kaljo makes her first field goal, a 3-pointer from the top of the key, after five misses.
12:32 — 41-32 — Mason clips Lindsay Trout going to the basket. The Saddleback sophomore has fouled out. Trout misses the first and gets the second to roll in.
12:47 — 40-32 — Paopao drives for 2.
13:14 — 40-30 — Heurung puts the ball on the floor and scores. She's got a game-high 19 points, which also sets new season and career highs thus far.
14:01 — Timeout Ventura.
14:32 — 38-30 — Wong makes a circus shot after Kaljo misses a bunny. She can't seem to get it going.
16:45 — 36-30 — Paopao makes a 3 from the corner.
17:01 — 36-27 — Wong makes one of two free throws.
17:46 — 35-27 — Chacon buries a 3-pointer from the left wing, the Gauchos' first field goal for nearly four minutes.
18:03 — 35-24 — Conklin is scored going to the basket and draws Joy Mason's fourth foul. The sophomore from Santa Maria makes both free throws.
18:57 — 33-24 — Nicholson scores inside.
19:35 — 31-24 — Jameson scores inside to get the second half off to a positive start for Ventura.
— Only two Pirates have field goals at halftime. Heurung has 17 points (one less than her season high for a full game) on 7 of 10 shooting. Conklin has seven points on 3 of 8 shooting, alongside seven rebounds and four assists. Santizo has six rebounds. Ventura's leading scorer, Kaljo, has only taken two attempts — a pair of missed free throws. The Pirates besides Conklin and Heurung are 0 of 11 from the field.
— Jones has a team-high 10 points.
— Down 20-16 with 6:50 left in the half, Ventura closed with a 13-4 run to take a five-point halftime lead. But the Pirates really missed an opportunity to take a huge lead entering the intermission.

HALFTIME SCORE — VENTURA 29, SADDLEBACK 24
1:00 — 29-24 — Heurung answers on the left block.
1:10 — 27-24 — Jones makes a tough shot on the right block.
1:23 — Conklin and Santizo miss a series of atough shots inside.
2:20 — 27-22 — Heurung scores on the right block.
3:00 — 25-22 — Santizo nearly gets an and-1 to roll in. Instead she makes the second of two free throws.
3:32 — 24-22 — Heurung buries a 3-pointer and nearly falls down.
— Kind of a diffident start by the Pirates. Kaljo is nowhere yet. Only Conklin and Heurung have really make a mark for the Pirates thus far.
4:35 — 21-22 — Conklin makes one of two free throws.
4:49 — 20-22 — Jones gets the ball inside for the first time, turns and scorers.
5:35 — 20-20 — Heurung is fouled putting up an offensive rebound. Swish. Swish.
6:45 — 18-20 — Conklin catches the Gauchos napping in transition.
6:50 — 16-20 — Mason buries a 3 from the top of the key.
7:47 — 16-17 — Arlene Kaleopa, who entered when Klockgether was hurt, splashes a high-arcing 3-point from the left corner to give the Gauchos the lead.
— Neither team is shooting very well, but the defense on both sides of the floor has been intense.
8:38 — 16-14 — Chacon picks up a loose ball and hits a 15-footer.
— Timeout Saddleback. This just in, Ventura men's assistant Jon Wyers has finished his 40-ounce slurpee.
9:34 — 16-12 — Conklin finds Heurung across the blocks with a beautiful jump pass.
9:53 — 14-12 — Chacon picks up a touch foul on her way to the basket. She misses the first foul shot, makes the second.
10:36 — 14-11 — Conklin with a great finish in transition from Santizo.
12:00 — 12-11 — Jones scores again, she's making so tough shots.
12:41 — 12-9 — Conklin slips the ball inside neatly for Kaljo, who is fouled and makes both shots.
12:57 — 10-9 — Chacon scores for the Gauchos.
— Winn is carrying Klockgether, who almost attended VC, off the floor. It looks like a sad ending to a great community college career.
14:37 — Here's Klockgether for the first time. Interesting move by the Gauchos. And she picked up a foul before playing her first minute, then collapsed on the floor. It's now apparent, with the wrap on her knee, that she's carrying a serious knee injury.
- Klockgether, who is in uniform, still has yet to check in the game.
15:08 — 10-7 — Jones picks up her first foul on Jameson, who makes both free throws.
15:24 — 8-7 — Jones hits a 10-footer out of a inbounds.
15:52 — 8-5 — Heurung scores again on Jones on the right block and Saddleback coach Fentriss Winn angrily calls a timout and jaws with Jones.
16:07 — 6-5 — Jones buries a 10-footer.
16:30 — 6-3 — Heurung scores on the right block.
- It's been a wild, nervous start.
17:30 — 4-3 — Julie Heurung backs down Jones on the right block for a bucket.
17:50 — 2-3 — Coble, all alone on the right wing, drains a 3-pointer.
18:04 — Jones, Saddleback's long center, misses a jump shot.
- Both teams missing early shots, nervously.
19:08 — 2-0 — Conklin makes a turnaround jumper on the left block.
19:43 — Ventura wins the tip and Conklin finds Jameson alone underneath the basket alone for a layup, but the freshman misses the layup and missing both free throws.
— Ventura's injury issues, Lindsay Trout (knee), Michelle Santizo (flu), all seemed good in warmups.
— Ventura will start Michelle Santizo, Jenelle Conklin, Indira Kaljo, Jessica Jameson and Sara Nicholson.
— Saddleback will start Justine Chacon, Kelsey Paopao, Joy Mason, Alexis Coble, Rekeshia Jones. Unbelievably, first-team All-State point guard Cassie Klockgether, will not start.
— Prince Abidoye just made his way past the scorer's table like the mayor of Ventura, shaking every hand, after that last-second game-tying shot a week ago against Los Angeles Valley.