The Occidental women’s basketball team added another career 1000 point scorer to their program Jan. 17. Paige Yasukochi is the first player to accomplish this since 2012, when Makenzie Brandon ’13 surpassed the 1000 point mark. After starting 79 out of 89 games since her freshman year, Yasukochi scored her 1000th career point in a 63-68 loss to Cal Lutheran.
Yasukochi said this achievement is a testament to her hard work and that it wouldn’t have been possible without her teammates.
“It’s a big milestone that encapsulates a lot of the hard work I’ve put in throughout high school and here at Oxy,” Yasukochi said. “I wouldn’t have been able to do it without my teammates, because of their support.”
Yasukochi said she believes some of the highlights of her career at Occidental include winning and connecting with her teammates.
“Obviously winning SCIAC a couple years ago [was a high] … and when it feels like we have great games as a team, we all play so well and the chemistry is flowing.”
Ainsley Shelsta (senior) said Yasukochi’s personality is essential in high-stakes games.
“She’s always a person that stays very calm and composed,” Shelsta said. “If it’s a crazy game and emotions are high, you can always look to Paige […] like the calm in the storm. She’ll always bring us right where we need to be.”
Ila Giblin (sophomore) said Yasukochi is a key presence on the team.
“Basketball-wise [she has an] extreme impact, not only scoring, but she’s drawing so many defenders her way,” Giblin said. “That frees up a lot of opportunities for other people.”
Giblin said Yasukochi’s 1000 point milestone should get a lot of people excited about the women’s basketball program.
“I think that [Yasukochi’s 1000 points] draws a lot of attention to women’s basketball and [helps] recruits,” Giblin said.
According to Yasukochi, injuries continue to be a struggle for the team despite the accomplishment.
“A lot of injuries definitely came into play, but I think we’ve been facing adversity well,” Yasukochi said. “We’ve overcome a lot of challenges, and even without some of our key players, we’ve been doing the best we can to hopefully put ourselves in position [for playoffs].”
The Occidental women’s basketball team is currently 5-5 in conference play. The team is now sitting in the 5th and final playoff spot in the SCIAC conference standings. The Tigers opened the second half of conference play with two wins —against La Verne Jan. 26 and Caltech Jan. 31.
Shelsta said their limited roster of 14 players has been an advantage for them.
“We rebuilt ourselves, and this season we hit the ground running,” Shelsta said. “We only had one new person join our team, and she was a great addition. We were able to start right away.”
According to Shelsta, if the team learns from their losses, they will have a good rest of the season.
“Our record might not have as many wins as we would like, but that’s basketball, and even with every loss we’ve had, we’ve learned from it,” Shelsta said. “We’ve grown, we’ve moved forward, and we’re just excited for the second half of conference coming up.”
Dara Tokeshi (senior) said she understands the team’s struggles, especially now that they’re a couple of weeks into the second semester.
“We’ve had weeks where we have three or four games in one week. Maybe we were a little burnt out recently,” Tokeshi said. “With school just starting, I feel like that was tough on our bodies and minds.”
Tokeshi said another key to dealing with adversity is having a short memory.
“We’re good at bouncing back and having next game, next play mentality,” Tokeshi said.
Head coach Anahit Aladzhanyan said she acknowledges how hard injuries can be and commends her players for staying connected.
“I want to give a big shout out to our players who have faced injuries or are currently injured,” Aladzhanyan said. “They’re all in for our team and their teammates despite their personal hardships, and it’s a true testament to how much they care about each other in our program.”
Assistant coach Isaiah Gatewood-Flowers said he is hopeful for the second half of the season.
“There’s not a game we think we can’t win,” Gatewood-Flowers said. “I think we have a really good shot. All of our conference losses were pretty close.”
Aladzhanyan said despite recent struggles, the team’s goal is still to make the playoffs.
“Our goal is to make the conference tournament, and we’re going to battle to hopefully have that opportunity to get into playoffs,” Aladzhanyan said. “[We’re] excited and hopeful for our very large senior group to have one final playoff opportunity.”
Contact Liz Hermosillo at ehermosillo@oxy.edu
