Hawks Defeat Gauchos in Solid Road Win to Start New Year

SCC started the new year with a tough road win at Saddleback College by the score of 90-76.  With the win, the #3 ranked Hawks move to 15-0 on the season and are 3-0 in the Orange Empire Conference.  The Hawks started fast in this game and jumped out to a 20-8 lead. However, the Gauchos battled back in the first half and cut the lead to 2 points with the score 44-42 at the half.  SCC was uncharacteristically cold in the opening half, shooting just 39.4% from the field and 25% from the 3-point line.  Leading the way in scoring was David Agba with 11 points and Paul Vilela with 8 points.  The Hawks were a solid 14 for 16 from the free throw line in the half.

The second half continued to be close during the first eight minutes with neither team building much of a lead. SCC countered with a more aggessive defense and forced a couple of turnovers, which sparked the team on a 10-2 run with about 8 minutes to play.  The Hawks were able to maintain a double digit lead for most of the remaining minutes of the game and secured the 90-76 victory.  SCC hadn't played since their December 20th victory over Cypress and the offense showed some rust for the first 30 minutes of the game.  The last 10 minutes showed why SCC has one of the most potent offenses in California as they exploited mismatches and were able to knock down their 3-point shots.  The Hawks had 6 players score in double digits.  Antoine Jenkins led all scorers with 21 points and Agba finished with 20 points.  Both players shot an identical 10 for 10 from the free throw line.  Vilela added to the scoring with 12 points, while A.J. Garrity, Lucas Holden, and Paulo Araujo all finished with 10 points.  The Hawks were impressive from the free throw line by connecting on 32 free throws on 35 attempts.  

SCC continues Orange Empire Conference play next Friday as they host Golden West College.  Tip-off is set for 6:00pm