Cougars Lose OT Battle 70-65 to No. 12 Santa Monica

The Cougars trailed by 16 points at halftime but rallied late to send game in OT.

Cougars Lose OT Battle 70-65 to No. 12 Santa Monica

Team Stats

February 1, 2016

The College of the Canyons men's basketball team opened the second round of Western State Conference (WSC) play with a tough loss against visiting No. 12 regionally ranked Santa Monica College on Saturday night, losing 70-65 in a hard fought overtime battle.

The Cougars trailed by 16 points midway through, but opened the first seven minutes of the second half on a 15-2 run. Canyons was able to put significant pressure on the Corsairs, which led to 16 turnovers and allowed COC to limit its opponent to only four field goals, the first of which came halfway through the second half. 

COC shot a combined 44 percent from the field in the second half, making 15 field goals — six of which were from behind the arc.

The Cougars tied the game with 19 seconds left in the game when freshman forward Caden Bradley converted on a layup that sent the game into overtime. 

However, COC was unable to finish the comeback, as the Corsairs came up with a pair of big turnovers in the final 30 seconds of play.

COC freshman guard James Chevious had a big night for Canyons, finishing with 16 points, three assists and two steals. 

Canyons sophomore guard Victor Nwaba scored 16 points, and added six rebounds and two assists. 

Jalen Ewell added 15 points and seven rebounds for the Cougars, while Harrison Haynes finished with nine points, six rebounds and five assists.

COC returns to the Cougar Cage at 7 p.m. Wednesday Feb. 3, to host state ranked No. 12 Bakersfield College (18-4, 7-1).