Cuesta Men's Basketball lost to local rival Allan Hancock for the second time in three days, 86-70.  The Bulldogs beat the Cougars on Monday, 66-51, in Santa Maria and handed them another setback today in San Luis Obispo.  The Cougars shooting was off all night, which was a problem due to the Bulldogs' rebounding prowess.  The Cougars shot under 35% from the field and only 27% from three-point territory, while the Bulldogs made more than half of their shots and out-rebounded the Cougars, 43-26.   Despite some team struggles, Cuesta's 2021 Team MVP Darryl Brooks II (Menemonee Falls, WI) and Freshman Forward Kobe Pearson (Melbourne, AUS) offered some highlights for the Cougars' Faithful.  Brooks filled up the stat sheet by scoring 20 points, while also pulling down a team-high seven rebounds and swiping a game-high six steals.  Pearson knocked down five a game-high five three-pointers on his way to a team-high 21 points.  Today marked the fifth time Pearson has converted five three-pointers in a game, but the first time the Cougars lost one of those games.  The Cougars are 10-14 overall and 5-3 in the Western State Conference with four games to play.

Cuesta has four games left in the regular season and conclude this week with a trip to Woodland Hills on Saturday (3 PM) for their second-round game against Pierce.  The Cougars beat the Brahmas, 72-40, in their first meeting on January 19.