Walnut, Calif. – In a game that was far closer than expected, the Mt. SAC Men's Basketball Team secured a nail-biting 62-61 victory over Los Angeles City College in the final seconds. With the win, the Mounties improve to 24-3 on the season, while the Cubs drop below .500 at 13-14.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Cubs got off to a hot start with Makael Reynolds sinking a three pointer and layup, while AJ Robinson made a jump shot to give Los Angeles City a 7-0 lead. But the Mounties responded moments later with a three pointer of their own from Jon McCullough, a layup and a free throw from Jaidyn Simpson and a layup from Immanuel Taylor to take back the lead.

LA City regained control with seven minutes left in the first half, thanks to a deep three-pointer from Kodee Holloway, allowing them a four-point advantage at halftime with a score of 35-31. Simpson led all scorers with 11 first-half points, while McCullough dominated the boards with four rebounds.

McCullough opened the second half with a jump shot, followed by two free throws and a layup from Marvel Chambers to put the Mounties back on top. But LA City wasn't done, as Holloway drained another three-pointer to shift the momentum once again.

With just under three minutes to play, Reynolds buried a clutch three, giving the Cubbies a 61-55 lead. Simpson and McCullough answered with back-to-back baskets, closing the gap to 61-60 with one minute remaining.

Down by one with just four seconds left, Mt. SAC Head Coach Michael Fenison called a timeout to draw up a final play. Out of the huddle, Simpson was fouled by Alan Duarte with three seconds remaining. He calmly sank both free throws, giving the Mounties a 62-61 lead. LA City had one last chance, but another foul sent Simpson back to the line. Though he missed both free throws, time expired before the Cubs could get off a final shot, sealing a dramatic one-point win for Mt. SAC.

BY THE NUMBERS:

• Jaidyn Simpson (Mt. SAC): 19 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 block
• Jon McCullough (Mt. SAC): 15 points, 10 rebounds, 3 steals
• Marvel Chambers (Mt. SAC): 10 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals
• Kodee Holloway (Los Angeles City): 19 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists
• Caleb Shepherd (Los Angeles City): 14 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists
• Makael Reynolds (Los Angeles City): 13 points, 4 rebounds 1 block

NEXT UP:

The Mounties close out the regular season at home on Friday, February 21, against East Los Angeles College (24-2). Tip-off is set for 7:00 PM.

• Note: With Mt. SAC (24-3, 7-2) and ELAC (24-2. 8-0) neck and neck in the standings, the conference title will come down to the wire:
• Scenarios:
  • If East LA defeats Mt. SAC, ELAC is the outright conference champion.
  • If Mt. SAC beats ELAC and ELAC wins the rescheduled game against LA Trade Tech on Saturday (February 22), East LA is the solo champion.
  • If Mt. SAC beats ELAC and ELAC loses to LA Trade Tech, Mt. SAC and ELAC would be co-champions. 

STAY CONNECTED:

Follow Mt. SAC Men's Basketball on twitter @MtSAC_MBKB or Instagram /mt.sacbasketball/

Follow Mt. SAC Athletics on twitter @MtSAC_athletics Instagram /mtsac_athletics/ or Facebook @Mountie.Athletics

For additional information, please contact the Mt. SAC Sports Information Office at 909.274.4630.