By Jimmy Friery
SANTA BARBARA, CA – The Santa Barbara City College Men's Basketball team fell to first place Allan Hancock on Saturday afternoon, 90-53.
Hancock came into the game undefeated in conference play and ranked #12 in the state as of the latest (1/15) rankings.
It was always going to be a tall task for the Vaqueros, who continue to face injuries from a couple of key players. The opening minutes of the game looked promising, though.
After Truman Teuber's three-pointer, the Vaqueros had an 11-6 lead nearly 5 minutes into the game. Nick Tjaden and David Coniglio contributed a few buckets to make the score 16-13, but Hancock would take the lead on a layup a few minutes later. They would never relinquish it.
Down 23-16 midway through the half, William Pace made a layup plus a free throw to convert the and-1, shrinking the deficit to 23-19. However, Hancock would follow that up with a 19-5 run over the next 8 minutes, with the Vaqueros scoring only via free throws in that span. The score at halftime was 47-29.
In the second half, Hancock made sure no comeback attempt could be feasible, shooting a red hot 68% (17 for 25) after the break. Naturally, that allowed them to coast to the final score of 90-53.
Overall, Hancock shot 59% from the field compared to SBCC's 36%. Hancock's shooting, combined with their control of the glass—49 rebounds—and in the key—52 points in the paint—showed why they are currently at the top of the WSC North.
For the Vaqueros, Isaiah Hicks led all scorers with 11, while Nick Tjaden also reached double digits with 10. Tjaden also had 4 rebounds.
William Pace had the most well-rounded game, with a line of 7 points, 5 rebounds (team lead), and 3 assists (team lead). Fray Villalta-Guevara had a similar line with 8 points and 4 rebounds.
The Vaqueros (1-4) hope to finish the first round of conference play with a win at Oxnard (1-4) on Wednesday night at 5:00 PM.
