Story by Marcus Tolero/Photo by Eric Sun

The City College of San Francisco women's basketball team (9-1) won last weekend's Santa Rosa Invitational after defeating Merritt College Thunderbirds 72-56 on Saturday.

The Rams were in complete control for most of the game, having outscored the Thunderbirds (3-4) in the first three quarters. By the end of the third quarter, the Rams held an insurmountable 50-32 lead.

Leading the Way for the Rams was sophomore guard Caprice Taylor and freshman forward Ma'ata Makoni. Taylor scored a game-high 18 points, and Makoni finished the game with 15 points and nine rebounds.

The Rams also received a strong contribution from its bench players. Twenty seven of the Rams 72 points came from the bench. Freshman forward Zakiya Willis finished the game with a double-double (14 points and 12 rebounds) and contributed on the defensive end with two block and two steals.

The Rams' defense and rebounding proved to be the keys to victory for CCSF. The Rams smothered Merritt's shooters, holding them to just 24.3 percent shooting (17-of-70). They also controlled the paint by outrebound the Thunderbirds 44 to 26.

The Rams are currently on a five-game winning streak. Their next games will be this weekend when they host the CCSF Golden Gate Classic this Friday through Sunday