Porterville Women's Basketball falls in season opener at Merced tourney

Porterville College sophomore Denisheun Jackson scored 13 points in a tough 82-40 opening-day loss for the Pirates against Diablo Valley College on Thursday at the Merced College Coca-Cola Shootout tournament.

The Pirates couldn't keep up with DVC as they faced a 20-10 deficit after the first quarter and trailed 43-20 at halftime. Porterville had a rough time shooting the ball, making 17 of just 49 attempts for the contest.

Sophomore Lauren Beath also scored in double-digits, pouring in 11 points for the Pirates. Sophomore Marisol Cerda sank a pair of three-pointers on her way to eight points.

Diablo Valley (3-1) had three players posts double-doubles and were led by Doris Jones' 20 points and 11 rebounds.

Porterville (0-1) will look to bounce back on Friday at 1 p.m. in a consolation bracket game against Merrit College.