SANTA BARBARA, CA – Yet another 20-10 double-double from freshman center Aidan Mandel wasn't enough to lift the SBCC men's basketball team over Moorpark in a 71-63 road defeat on Wednesday.
It was the sixth 20-point double-double of the year for Mandel, who finished with 21 and 13 on 9-of-21 from the field.
The Vaqueros (9-15, 4-4) and Raiders (14-10, 6-2) were nearly identical in a number of categories, with both knocking down seven threes, turning it over 15 times and SBCC having a slim 36-35 rebounding advantage. However, Moorpark (.481 FG%) shot nearly 10 percent better from the floor and outscored the Vaqueros by four in both halves.
Led by Mandel, Santa Barbara got out to a good start. His layup about eight minutes in gave the Vaqueros a 19-11 advantage, their largest of the day, as he started 5-of-6 from the field with several boards.
The Raiders ended the first half on an 8-0 run and would lead the rest of the way. The Vaqueros trailed 57-47 entering the final nine minutes and would make things interesting, as treys from Truman Teuber and Trevor Lee helped cut it to 57-56. Moorpark got back-to-back triples of its own though to take its largest lead, 70-59 with time running out.
Guard Julian Hicks was SBCC's second-leading scorer at 11 points, knocking down 3-of-5 from deep. Jaelen Bates finished with eight points, three rebounds and three assists.
The Vaqueros are back home this Saturday, Feb. 4 to host LA Pierce at 5:00 p.m.
