For 20 minutes Wednesday night, the San Bernardino Valley College women's basketball team was locked in a tense, back-and-forth battle with Victor Valley College.

But in the second 20 minutes, the Rams' defense picked up the pressure, forcing 10 SBVC turnovers, as Victor Valley pulled away at the end for a 87-70 victory in the Inland Empire Athletic Conference opener for both teams.

VVC led by two after the first quarter, and only held a three-point advantage at the half, as the teams traded the lead eight times - with five ties in between. But the Rams went on runs of 8-2 and 8-1 in the third quarter thanks in part to a full-court defense that rattled the Wolverines. VVC led by 13 at the end of the third, and eventually would extend its lead to as many as 19 in the fourth quarter, as three Wolverines fouled out in the fourth.

SBVC, however, outshot the Rams for the game, making 34.4 percent of its shots to 33.8 for Victor Valley. And five players finished in double figures scoring for the Wolverines, led by a game-high 17 points from Maryanne Palacios. She was supported by 15 points from Tiyanna Padilla, who was 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. Marilynn Jacques had 11 points, while Mo'Nikque Lightfoot and Destiny Melendez had 10 apiece. Domineek Butler pulled down a team-high eight rebounds for the Wolverines.

The Wolverines travel to Chaffey on Dec. 21 before heading out on a short winter break, as they will play at the East Los Angeles College Okawa Classic Dec. 27-29.