Men's Basketball fell to #18 Ventura in a Western State Conference loss, 63-60, yet came within a few seconds and a couple of defensive rebounds of knocking off the loop's top team.  The Cougars were down, 62-60, with 40 ticks left on the clock and the Pirates at the free throw line.  The Bucs missed three of their next four shots from the charity stripe, but were able to corral two of them on offensive rebounds and then collected two more off missed shots, before the Cougars finally got the ball back with six ticks left on the clock.  Cuesta raced down the court, but was unable to get shot off before the final buzzer sounded. The Pirates' late game rebounds were nothing new, they dominated the boards and held a 54-30 advantage on the night, which helped produce double-doubles for both Point Guard Timothy Turner and Forward Dayshone Henry.  Turner was within four assists of a triple-double with 16 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, yet it was Henry's early dominance they allowed the Bucs to build their early lead.  Henry scored 18 of his game-high 27 points as Ventura built a 17-point halftime lead.  The Cougars' defense was able to cut his production by half after the intermission, while their offense connected on five second-half, three-pointers to bring the Pirates back into range.  Cuesta closed the game on a 17-8 run, but ran out of time, while Ventura slipped out of town with its perfect WSC record unspoiled.  Cuesta Guard Jacques Safra led the Cougars with 21 points, but fouled out with just under three minutes left in the game and his team down by three points.  The rally stagnated at that point, yet the Cougars still had six seconds and a chance at the buzzer.         

Next- The Cougars, 8-14 overall and 2-4 in the Western State Conference, begin their second swing through the WSC this Saturday (5 PM) when they host the Oxnard Condors.