Women's Basketball split a pair of Western State Conference games last week and are part of a four-team pack that sits behind #5 Moorpark in the WSC Standings.  All four teams are within a game of .500, but the Cougars' loss at Ventura on Wednesday put them a win behind the Pirates in the standings.  The Cougars jumped out to a 15-9 lead in their first quarter against the Bucs but were down by a basket at the intermission.  Returning Freshman Julia Carney (SLO HS) led the Cougars with 12 points, but early foul trouble doomed the Cougars' chances down the stretch, and they fell, 62-46.  On Saturday, Cuesta bounced back by taking their season series against Oxnard, 55-48.  Cuesta beat the Condors, 68-41, in SLO on January 17 and Carney and Olivia Missler (Atascadero: Mission Prep) keyed the Cougars' victory last Saturday.  Carney led the Cougars with a career-high 23 points, while Missler enjoyed her fourth 20-point game of the year by tying her career-high with 21 points for the third time this season.  Cuesta is 10-9 overall and 3-3 against the WSC.     

The Cougars begin their second swing through the Western State Conference this Saturday (7 PM) when they host Santa Barbara City.  The Vaqueros dominated the Cougars, 65-40, in their WSC Opener in Santa Barbara on January 12, but the Cougars were coming off a 23-day, COVID-related, layoff.  It should be a much different contest this weekend.