Men’s basketball had a close game on Wednesday, Nov. 20, battling it out against the Santiago Canyon College Hawks winning 95-91 during overtime.
SAC wasn’t playing around as both teams came into the game undefeated making this game intense from the start. The offense was on their A-game in the first half with SAC leading 52-43. They had 61.5% free throws made, 55% 3-pointers made and 49.3% field goals made by the end of the game.
Sophomore point guard Jon McCullough (5) led the offense starting the first half with 21 points and ended the game with a 30 bomb. McCullough’s (5) dunk in the first half shook the Hawks’ perspective of the game, combined with his sharpshooting with 6 3-pointers. His experience on the court showed as he directed SAC’s offense and defense throughout the game.
“Coach put a lot of pressure on me but that’s what I’m here for,” McCullough (5) said about his performance. “I got to give thanks to my teammates for giving me those open shots … I’m glad I get to show people what I’ve been working on in private.”
Freshman guard Jaidyn Simpson (1) scored 11 points in the first half with three assists adding dynamic plays to the offensive side. Simpson was cooking up with a double-double, 18 points, 10 rebounds and three assists to end the game.
Sophomore guards Kenneth Brown (11) and Marvel Chambers (23) mixed in some solid plays on offense and defense. They both were key in stopping the Hawks on the defensive end and focusing on second-chance points.
“We started off with great energy,” Chambers (23) said. “We just got to keep our foot on the pedal and keep being disciplined.”
In the second half, the Hawks responded to SAC’s offensive start scoring 40 points and leading to a tie game at 83 points. SAC didn’t let the second half go in the Hawks’ direction without a fight. Freshman forward Ryan Wheeler (24) was taking this second half seriously, scoring 6 points combined with McCullough (5) who scored 9 points.
“I don’t think they expected to play that hard,” head coach Michael Fenison said about the men’s team performance. “I don’t think we played very well in the second half … we got to correct that and look back at the film and decide why we didn’t do that.”
In overtime, SAC locked in and showed their willingness to not give up. Wheeler (24) came through taking the lead in OT scoring 8 of the 12 points. SAC’s defense shined throughout these last five minutes, making their victory that much better.
Overall SAC played a great game, although the second half wasn’t exactly what they hoped for, they clutched up in overtime. With a close game such as this, future games will be a test for the team. Their next game is Wednesday, Dec. 4 against Southwestern College Jaguars.
