SBCC erased a nine-point second-half deficit on Friday and beat Chabot 84-82 in the Hancock men's basketball tournament at Santa Maria.
Robert Hutchins scored 19 of his 24 points in the first half when the Vaqueros (1-3) built a 15-point lead and took a 46-36 advantage at halftime. Santa Barbara outshot the Gladiators from Hayward, Calif., 57.6 to 33.3 percent in the first 20 minutes.
Ben Clay added 16 points and nine rebounds while Jesse DeVries had 12 points and nine boards. Hutchins hit 10-of-19 from the field, 3-6 on 3-pointers, and grabbed eight rebounds. Drayten Howell added 11 points and four assists. Demarre Walker led the Gladiators (0-3) with 26 points and six assists.
Chabot opened the second half on a 26-7 run and took a 62-53 lead with 9:57 to play. The Vaqueros responded with a 15-5 burst and regained the lead, 68-67, on a pair of free throws by DeVries.
Trailing by one, Clay drilled a jumper for an 82-81 lead with 1:02 to play. Hutchins made a steal and Calvin "Josh" Chapital hit two free throws for a three-point lead with 18 seconds left.
Eliot Harris made a foul shot for Chabot, then Hutchins missed two free throws with 0:14 on the clock. Ray Dhanoa's 3-point try missed the mark, giving SBCC its first win.
The Vaqueros will battle county rival Hancock (4-3) in the semifinals on Saturday at 5 p.m.
