Butte's Elizalde Too Much as Jaguars Fall in Second Round, 60-48

OROVILLE, Calif. — A dominant second quarter from Butte College proved to be the difference Saturday as the San José City College women's basketball team saw its season come to an end in a 60-48 second-round playoff loss at Butte, dropping the Jaguars to 22-7 on the year.

Butte guard Marissa Elizalde put on a clinic, pouring in a game-high 27 points on 11-of-16 shooting and hitting four three-pointers to lead the Roadrunners (23-5), who advance with the victory in their home gym.

The Jaguars kept pace through the opening quarter, trailing just 12-11 after eight minutes. But Butte turned the game in the second period, outscoring San José 18-10 to push its lead to nine at halftime, 30-21. The Roadrunners never relinquished that cushion.

San José's Synise Byrd was exceptional in a losing effort, finishing with 20 points on 7-of-16 shooting, going 5-of-6 from the free-throw line, and adding six rebounds and a game-high five steals. Hayley Johnson chipped in 14 points and three assists for the Jaguars, who struggled to find consistent offense, shooting just 36.7 percent from the floor for the game.

The Jaguars did show life in the third quarter, matching Butte's output 16-16 to keep the deficit at nine heading into the fourth. But San José was unable to close the gap in the final period, being outscored 14-11 as Butte put the game away.

Brook Marr added 15 points, and Mia Reyes contributed 14 points and eight rebounds for the Roadrunners, who shot nearly 49 percent from the field. Butte's balanced attack — which spread scoring across five players in double figures — proved too much for San José's defense to contain.

Ember Navarro led the Jaguars with four assists, while starter Kaydin Meyer added six points and four rebounds. San José's reserves combined for just one point on the night, putting the full scoring burden on its starting unit.

The loss ends a strong season for the Jaguars, who entered the postseason as one of the top teams in their conference with a 7-1 conference record.