The Balers dropped their first game under new head coach Mitch Burley on Tuesday, falling to Westmont 50-42.
Despite the loss, the Balers showed life in the second half after falling behind early.
With first-game jitters, the Balers struggled at the game’s onset, Burley said.
“We had a tough start,” he said. “We were a little apprehensive.”
After the slow start, the Balers found themselves down 12-0, but things started to change for the better.
“We started to get a few turnovers and some easy shots to get back in the game,” Burley said.
San Benito outscored Westmont 14-13 over the rest of the first half to gain momentum.
In the second half, San Benito continued to stay with Westmont but could never make a run to make the game closer.
But Burley was happy to see his team’s improvement over the course of the game, he said.
“We were able to adjust to what they were doing,” he said. “They responded well.”
Kelsey Robledo led the Balers in scoring with 13 points. Madeleine LePore added 6 points and Cassandra Barraza scored 8 points in the loss.
San Benito travels to Watsonville on Thursday for the Watsonville Wildcatz Invitational. The Balers will play St. Francis C.C. Catholic at 3:30 p.m.
