Cats win two at San Berdoo

The Saddleback men's basketball team improved to 3-1 on Sunday with a 92-71 win against Compton College at the Alvin Hunter Classic at San Bernardino Valley College.  The Bobcats battled back from an opening loss on Friday with two straight wins.

Saddleback had a balanced attack on Sunday, with four players scoring in double-figures.  Nick Bowden scored a team-high 20 points, making 4-of-9 three pointers and 6-of-8 free throws.  He was joined in double-figures by Atiba Taylor (18), Elijah Al-Debaran (15) and Jimuel Reyes (12).

Saddleback's defense forced 23 turnovers from Compton and turned them into points.  The Bobcats had their best shooting night of the season so far, making 10-of-19 from long range and 26-of-32 from the charity stripe.

Saddleback trailed early as Compton took a 12-6 lead over the first 6.5 minutes of the game.  The Bobcats closed the gap and finally took a lead over the Tartars with 6:18 remaining in the half when Taylor made four straight free throws for a 26-25 lead.  Saddleback would never trail again, finishing the half on a 26-9 run for a 48-35 lead at the intermission.

Saddleback extended the lead to 20 points at the 15:56 mark of the second half when Bowden (pictured) buried a pair of free throws for a 60-40 advantage.  They took their largest lead of the game with 2:39 remaining when Taylor drilled a three-pointer for an 86-59 lead. 

Saddleback fell to San Bernardino Valley, 76-52, in the opening round of the tournament before beating Moorpark 79-68 on Saturday. 

Saddleback is now 3-1 on the season and will host Santa Monica College on Wednesday inside the Saddleback gymnasium at 6:00 PM.