MOORPARK, Calif. (Feb. 28, 2026) – On the final day of February the No. 3 Moorpark College women's basketball team repeated what it has done for the last 14 games prior to tonight, earning a 55-53 victory over No. 19 Bakersfield in the Second Round of the 2026 California Community College Athletic Association (3C2A) State Championship Tournament which took place tonight inside the Raider Pavilion.  

Bakersfield, coming off a 69-66 upset of No. 14 Copper Mountain in the 3C2A First Round on Wednesday, was fired up and fought until the final buzzer, but came up short of a second underdog victory as Moorpark won its 15^th straight contest.  

Keilani Peralta hit back-to-back three-pointers early in the opening frame to give MC a 6-0 lead, but a 13-9 advantage faded into a 15-15 tie and the home team saw itself down 17-15 at the first break.

In the second quarter, the Renegades came out firing on all cylinders and built a nine-point, 24-15 lead at the 6:26 mark. Maleyni Tolliver connected for a pair of baskets to cut the deficit to three and the teams were again knotted at 27-27 with just under a minute to play. An Aly Taufaasau jumper put the Blue and White up by a pair, 29-27, at halftime.

Out of the locker rooms, MC capitalized off the bat on second chance points on a Dayzia Mendoza jumper. On the ensuing possession, the Raiders again took advantage when Hannah Lising was fouled and knocked down both free-throws. A forced turnover put the ball immediately back in the hands of the home team and Lising again connected on a pass from Mendoza to push the gap to eight. Unfortunately, a trio of MC misses allowed Bakersfield to use a fast break layup to burn a timeout and gain a little momentum back, something they would slowly build back up. A three-pointer from Danika Tolentino at the 3:58 mark put the Red team on top 38-37 and the energy inside of Raider Pavilion increased by decibels. Time would count down in the third period with the teams tied at 43-43 thanks to a late three-pointer from Peralta on an assist from Alyssa Saldana with 12 ticks to go.

A fired-up Bakersfield team opened the fourth and final frame with a long ball to take a 46-43 lead. Physical play ensued and both teams were aggressive, knowing what was on the line. Peralta finished off a three-point play with a free-throw after being fouled, to close the gap to a pair at 48-46, and on the next chance, Rhema Clements evened the score at 48-48.  The squads would continue to exchange points before an electric crowd until the final buzzer. Down to the wire, the teams both had chances in the final 1:03, but after a missed BC three-point attempt and an intentional foul with 5.7 seconds to play, Peralta went 1-for-1, which afforded BC the chance to take a timeout with 4.2 ticks to go in the hopes of a hail mary. Fortunately for the home team, defense stepped up and the Bakersfield offensive execution was off, propelling the Raiders to play another day.

MC shot 41.5 percent from the floor, limiting Bakersfield to 32.3 percent. The Raiders went 7-for-9 at the free-throw line, which ultimately made the difference in the outcome. BC outrebounded (40-38) and forced more turnovers (16-13), but Moorpark had an advantage in assists (13), blocks, with an incredible eight, and steals (8).

Peralta led all players with 18 points, hitting all four three's for the Raiders tonight, and Tolliver and Lising each turned in a double-double with 12 points and 10 points, respectively, with a share of a game-high10 rebounds apiece. Tolliver and Clements each finished with three blocks and Clements added five boards.

Bakersfield was led by 12 points from Jamie Neaderbaomer with Tolentino and Lailene Araniva each scoring 10. Araniva also had 10 rebounds.

Moorpark (26-3) will host No. 6 Cypress (22-7) on Saturday, March 7 inside of Raider Pavilion at 7:00 p.m. while the Bakersfield (20-10) run comes to an end.

The Raiders and Chargers will tip-off at 7:00 p.m. in the 3C2A Southern California Regional Final (Round of 16). Admission prices are $12 for adults (13+) and $8 for students, faculty, staff, senior citizens, military veterans and children (5-12).

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