MONTEREY, CA – The SBCC men's basketball team went into halftime leading Monterey Peninsula by a slim 49-46 margin in Thursday's Monterey Bay Classic opener, but couldn't find the offensive touch down the stretch as the Lobos pulled away to win 82-75.
Santa Barbara (1-7) got huge performances from sophomore guard Wilfrid Nado and freshman forward Aidan Mandel, who became the first Vaquero duo this season to score over 20 points in the same game. Nado enjoyed the second-highest scoring outing of his career, putting up 29 points on 8-of-12 from the field and 6-for-9 on threes.
Mandel notched his second double-double of the year with 22 points and 14 boards, including nine on the offensive glass. It was the fourth time in five games that he scored at least 22 points. He also added three steals and a pair of blocks.
Despite their big performances, Monterey Peninsula (5-4) was able to outscore SBCC by double-digits over the final 20 minutes. The home side outshot the Vaqueros 50 percent to 37.9 percent.
On a positive note, SBCC was sharp from outside for the second straight game. The Vaqueros set season-highs in three-point makes (8-14 3FG) and percentage (.571). Outside of Nado's big three-point shooting day, guards Elijah Simpson, Truman Teuber and Jacob Yamagish all hit one as well, combining to go 3-of-4 between them.
The Vaqueros are back in action for day two of the Monterey Bay Classic on Friday against Foothill at 3:00 p.m.
