Christmas may still be a month away but the Lady Vaq’s were certainly in the giving mood during their 76-53 loss to Santa Ana on Nov. 17 in the second round of the Vaquero Shootout, turning the ball over 32 times.

The Vaq’s played good defense to start the game but in the second half, preparation came into play, where Glendale’s lack of team conditioning became apparent, as they were unable to keep up with the fast tempo of Santa Ana.

“We need confidence and to get in better shape and come mentally ready to play,” said head coach Monica Hang.

Sophomore guard Mackenna Karasawa played a great game with 13 points and four assist in 31 minutes. Karasawa was the only GCC player to score in double figures. The Vaq’s were also got a spark off the bench from sophomore Joy Joaquin who scored four quick points in only eight minutes.

Blanca Collazo and Adriana Hernandez both played well each with seven points and five rebounds. Also Paola Gupilan came off the bench to score five points and grab four rebounds in 18 minutes.

Although entering halftime down only two, the Vaqs were outscored 48-27 in the second half.

Ball-handling and passing seemed to be large struggles for the Vaqs as well, who made only 13 assists compared with 21 by the Dons.

The game really came down to the Lady Vaq’s inability to be effective against both Santa Ana’s zone defense and press.

“Early in the season many teams don’t press so we haven’t practiced against a press and it showed,” said coach Hang. “We are just inexperienced and we panicked.”

The Vaqs not only gave up 32 points in the paint and 28 points to the bench, but they also had no answer for Dons Sophomore Heather Couzens, who had 21 points, nine rebounds, and three assists.

The Lady Vaqs finished fourth in the tournament after dropping two of the three games.