RIDGECREST, CA – The SBCC men's basketball team found itself in yet another nail-biter on Saturday at Cerro Coso, but couldn't come away with the win in a slim 64-61 defeat.
The Vaqueros (1-2) found themselves in a one-possession game in the final minute for the third straight time to start the season. The Coyotes improved to 2-0 with the win.
Sophomore guards Wilfrid Nado (12 points) and Elijah Simpson (11) led SBCC in scoring, with Nado doing his damage off the bench. Guard Trevor Lee and big man Aidan Mandel tallied nine each in the starting lineup.
It was a nice all-around game for Jaelen Bates, who went for six points and led all players with four assists to go with a pair of steals. Simpson tied an early season-high with three steals.
Santa Barbara outshot its opponent for the second straight game 46.9 to 42.6 percent. However, the difference came at the free throw line, where the Coyotes (22-34 FT) knocked down 10 more free throws than the Vaqueros.
"I thought we played good enough defense to come away with this win, but offensively, we have a lot to improve on, particularly in late-game situations," head coach Devin Engebretsen said. "We've lost two games now by a combined nine points and held 10-point leads in each game. So we have to continue to sharpen that area of the game: maintaining and expanding on leads, and closing out games. We had two or three critical turnovers under three minutes left in the game that cost us dearly. We will get there, and it will be soon!"
