The Mariners played hard for three quarters but were unable to defeat the Solano College Falcons on Wednesday. Though the final score read 81-59 in favor of Solano, the Mariners remained within striking distance for the majority of the game. A quick run brought the Mariners within 11 late in the third, but Solano withstood and went on to earn the victory.
The Mariners jumped out to an early 9-6 lead as Ureka Abbushi broke through the press of Solano and finished the dribble drive with a right handed layup. Solano responded with a series of made jumpers to end the quarter with a 21-17 lead. The Solano offense continued to score against the zone defense of Marin as they made seven first half three pointers. Marin tied the game at 26 halfway through the second quarter before a pivotal sequence. A missed Marin layup and a deep three pointer by Solano opened up a 31-28 lead for the Falcons. Solano used the opportunity to take a 47-33 halftime lead, including a buzzer beating three pointer as the clock expired.
The Mariners did not give up, coming out with a strong push to open the second half. They cut the lead to 11 at the four minute mark of the third quarter as Monica Vasquez hit a free throw to bring the score to 52-41. Abbushi kept the margin the same with a three pointer to make the score 55-44 a minute later, but Solano responded with a pair of buckets to end the third quarter with a 63-48 lead. The fourth quarter was all Solano, as they held the Mariners to just 11 points in route to the 81-59 final score.
Despite the loss there were several bright spots for Marin. Price led the team with 20 points on 8-13 shooting with five rebounds and three steals. Darrian Cross had 14 points with a pair of threes to go with seven rebounds.
On the game Assistant Coach Jared Feldman "I was pleased with the way we played for three quarters of the game, we came out strong and didn't give up. But we still need to figure out how to play the full 40 minutes."
The Mariners travel to Contra Costa College on Friday at 7:30PM.