STOCKTON — Watch your two top scorers bounce open shot after open shot off the inside of the rim?

Watch the opposition make a conga line to the charity stripe by a maddening 39 to 14 gulf?

Watch an eight-point lead slip away in the second half?

C'est le basketball.

That was the response of the Ventura College women's basketball team to its 70-64 loss to Fresno City in the state quarterfinals Thursday night at University of the Pacific's Spanos Center.

"It was a great season, we played hard and we were in a position to win," said Ventura coach Ned Mircetic, shrugging after losing for the first time in 11 state quarterfinal appearances.

"Some shots just didn't roll our way. Sometimes that happens."

Jenelle Conklin led Ventura (29-6) with 15 points while Indira Kaljo and Michelle Santizo had 14 points apiece.

But the five-time state champions and seven-time finalists had its first trip to the California Community College championships in five seasons ended by the powerhouse performance of center Lena Gipson, who returned from Arizona State to be named Northern California's Player of the Year.

"She's a handful," said Mircetic. "She might have played her best game of the year."

After being held without a field goal in a first half that Ventura controlled, the 6-foot-3 center lived up to her billing with 34 points and 17 rebounds as Fresno pulled out a dramatic game that featured seven ties and 16 lead changes. Gipson was 10 of 11 from the field in the second half.

"She's a women among girls sometimes," said Fresno coach Brian Tessler, "and she was that way tonight."

Fresno (35-2) avenged one of its two losses with the victory. The Rams will face the only other team to defeat them, two-time defending state champion Mount San Antonio (35-1), in Saturday's semifinals.

It was a tough pill to swallow for the Pirates, who had won 19 of 20 games and looked like extending that roll when they led 23-12 after 12 minutes and 37-29 after Conklin opened the second half with a 3-pointer.

Ventura had several chances to balloon the lead early in the second half, but Kaljo made 1 of 9 from 3-point land in the second half and Conklin struggled to finish around the basket, scoring just five points after halftime.

Both sophomores accepted the blame.

"My shots just weren't falling," said Conklin. "Maybe I was anxious."

"When I let them go, I was expecting three points," said Kaljo, who rebounded to scored four big baskets down the stretch.

Fresno snatched back the game by shooting 72 percent from the field and making 27 trips from the line in the second half.

"We had a couple shots that needed to go in for us," said Mircetic. "Shots that could have taken the wind out of their sails."

Instead, Fresno got even, 43-43, for the first time in 28 minutes a Gipson's free throw with 10:40 to play and was still tied, 59-59 seven minutes later.

Gibson scored five straight points down the stretch, on a post move and three free throws, as the Rams took over.

"We doubled down on her inside," said Ventura center Julie Heurung, "and she just kept scoring. You've got to give it to her."

Some of the Pirates were disappointed in the foul disparity — Gipson made 14 of 23 free throws while Ventura attempted just 14 as a team.

"We'd get hit in the face and wouldn't get a call," said Conklin.

"They were so whistle-happy on their side," said Kaljo, interrupting. "We would have loved to have gotten that type of treatment from the referees, but that's life. It's not fair."