COC BEAT: INJURIES HINDER COC.

Byline: Scott Magoloff Daily News Staff Writer

Just when you might have thought the College of the Canyons women's basketball team was hitting its stride, lightning strikes.

The Cougars (15-6, 3-2) lost 60-53 on Saturday to Santa Monica, previously winless in Western State Conference play. More significantly, COC may have lost backup point guard Tasha Allen, who will see a doctor in the next few days to examine her knee.

Canyons coach Greg Herrick said she might have a torn meniscus.

Losing a backup point guard is bad enough. It's worse when the starter was lost for the season in the previous game.

Stephanie Wasserman was averaging 8.3 points and 5.2 assists per game (fourth-highest in the WSC). One of only two sophomores on the team, Wasserman suffered a broken collarbone during last Wednesday's 90-69 victory over Bakersfield.

Wasserman had eight points and six assists in the Bakersfield game, her last in a COC uniform. As for Allen, she had a season-high 29 points and seven assists but struggled with one assist and 10 turnovers against Santa Monica.

Canyons shot 27.5 percent from the field against Santa Monica and had 39 turnovers. That performance came after COC hit 90 points in each of its previous two games, both wins.

``It was just terrible. It was the worst game we've played since I've been coaching here,'' Herrick said. ``I hope this game is not indicative of where we're going.''

Herrick and his Cougars find themselves at a crossroads. The loss to Santa Monica marked the first time in Herrick's seven years as coach that COC lost to the last-place team in the WSC.

There are any number of personnel possibilities that Herrick will consider under certain conditions:

Without Allen: If it turns out Allen cannot play, COC would be left with Ebony North and Lanika Manning as the only guards who have seen significant action this year. Herrick refers to them as ``role players'' at best.

In fact, the Cougars are so ``paper thin'' at the guard position that Herrick said he might move forward Kameelah Purdom (15.5 points, nine rebounds per game) to guard.

``She scores in transition, hits the mid-range jumper; she's been our most consistent player,'' Herrick said of the 5-foot-10 Purdom, the seventh-leading scorer and sixth-leading rebounder the WSC. ``On defense she can handle guarding smaller players because she's quick, but I'm leaning against it. I just don't think we can get it done in a short period of time.''

With Allen: If Allen can play the remainder of the season with the sore knee that has bothered her all year, Herrick said he will start her alongside North in the backcourt. Purdom would remain at forward.

Regardless of Allen's status, it seems that scarcely-used Erica Vint will see more playing time.