Mariners just miss in opener
Marin drops 64-59 decision to Skyline in playoff opener
The College of Marin women's basketball team came up just a bit short Wednesday, falling 64-59 to Skyline College in the opening round of the California Community College Athletic Association playoffs in San Bruno.
Skyline (19-10) came out of the gate strong and jumped to a 22-10 lead over Marin (16-11) after one quarter. Marin outscored Skyline in the second quarter by a 17-12 margin to pull within 34-27 by halftime.
Skyline put its foot on the accelerator during most of the third quarter, outscoring Marin by a 21-14 margin to open up a 55-41 lead.
Marin began to nibble away at Skyline's lead to open the fourth quarter and trailed just 62-59 with 16 seconds remaining. Marin head coach Emily Schaefer called a timeout to set up a game-tying 3-point shot while putting four of her best long-range shooters on the court. When play resumed, Marin rotated the ball to the far right corner, but a sloppy pass led to a turnover with just eight seconds to go. Marin immediately fouled Skyline's Tatiana Newsome, who knocked down both free throws to put the game away.
Skyline advances Stockton on Saturday to take on fifth seed San Joaquin Delta College (22-6).
Center Lala Lautalmi led Skyline with 18 points and eight rebounds while Newsome added 13 points and had a pair of 3-pointers to go along with her game-icing free throws.
Center Isobel Crosswhite had a double-double for Marin, putting up 20 points to go along with 14 rebounds. Guard Jayden Davis scored 14 points and had four assists while guard Aulani Leomiti chipped in nine points, all from the 3-point stripe.
Schaefer, a former multi-sport standout at Kelseyville High School, said she was disappointed with the close loss but was encouraged that the Mariners made a game of it to the very end. Crosswhite and Leomiti return to anchor next year's team and Schaefer said she is counting on a strong recruiting class to continue the new winning culture at Marin College, which was making its first postseason appearance in 20 years. Marin had 14 more wins this season than last, an improvement that earned Coach of the Year honors for Schaefer in the Bay Valley Conference this season.