Palomar Ends PCC Women's Basketball Season In Round 1 Playoff

The #21-seed Pasadena City College women's basketball team started out like it was ready to give the #12 Palomar Comets a challenge in their SoCal Regional Playoff Round 1 game on Wednesday night. The Lancers rolled out to a 12-6 lead and then only trailed 17-15 after one quarter.

But the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference champion Palomar (21-7) completely took control over the final 30 minutes, forcing PCC into a season-high 31 turnovers en route to a 78-40 victory. 

The Lancers end their season at 14-15, a 9-win improvement from the previous season and a playoff seed earned under interim head coach Alexa Mirzaian. 

Palomar outscored PCC, 22-8, in the second quarter and the Lancers never threatened in the second half. The Comets were led by Ivorii Seals' 18 points and 17 points and six assists by ReeRee Davis. 

All-South Coast Conference First Team frosh forward Kamora Fletcher hit four consecutive shots in the first quarter on her way to scoring 10 points, but she got into foul trouble and ended up with 12. Two-time, All-SCC guard Monica Menzies also scored 12 points and finishes her PCC career 18th on the Lancers All-Time Scoring List with 768 points.

Sophomore center Celine Bolton-Ford added 11 points and 21 rebounds, the second-highest boards total by a PCC player in a playoff game, two behind record-holder Alisa Shinn's 23 rebounds in a 2018 playoff win over San Diego City. Bolton-Ford, who averaged 12.5 rebounds per game this season, reached the 20-rebound plateau for the fifth time this season. 

Fletcher had a great first collegiate season as she scored 459 points (17-point average) and added nine rebounds and 2.7 steals per contest.

Menzies, Bolton-Ford, Ava Chang (five points), Paris Ngeam and Kimberly Dominguez all played their final PCC games as 2-year lettermen. 

Palomar will play a rematch v. #5 seed MiraCosta, the other PCAC Co-Champion, on Saturday, Feb. 28 in Round 2 of the regionals.