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    Five Pirates reached double-figures Wednesday evening as VC easily defeated Allan Hancock College 88-28 in the final game of the first round of Western State Conference North Division play in Santa Maria.  Five Pirates also grabbed at least six rebounds in the game in the balanced team effort.  Julie Heurung's 19 point, nine rebound performance was key along with Michelle Santizo's 14 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and two steals.  VC finishes the first round of conference play with a perfect 6-0 record, two games ahead of Santa Barbara, Moorpark, and LA Pierce.

     Ventura  (25-0, 6-0) scored the game's first nine points, and Heurung's put back at the 14:06 mark gave the Pirates a 13-3 advantage.  Back-to back 3-pointers, first by Donielle Griggs off of a pass from Erika Ward, and then one from Ward off of Chanelle Brennan's feed, gave VC a 19-5 advantage with 12:19 remaining in the opening period.  Allan Hancock (2-20, 0-6) had no answer for the Pirates in this contest, as Ventura raced out to a 47-17 lead at halftime.

     To begin the second half, VC held the ball for almost a minute, grabbed four offensive rebounds, and finally scored on Heurung's eight-footer from the left side of the paint.  That effort would continue for the Pirates for the remainder of the game as they won handily 88-28.

     Heurung's 19 points led the five Pirates who scored in double figures.  Griggs netted 18 in a strong performance while Santizo hit for 14 points.  Kris King and Ward contributed 12 and 11 points, respectively.  Heurung and Santizo each pulled down nine rebounds and Brennan grabbed eight.  Griggs had seven boards while Lacey Escamilla came off the bench to pull down six caroms.  Ward dished out eight assists while Santizo handed out five dimes.  Griggs, Brennan, and Amanda Padilla each picked up three steals to lead the Pirate defense.

     Ventura travels to San Luis Obispo on Saturday Jan. 31 to take on Cuesta College.  That game can be heard on www.HomeFieldSports.com beginning at 7:00 pm, immediately following the Pirate men at 5:00 pm.  VC returns home on Wednesday February 4 to take on Los Angeles Pierce College.  That will also be the Pirates' WBCA Pink Zone game for breast cancer awareness.  All fans are encouraged to wear pink to the game and join in on the evening's activities.