Cougars Tip 2017-18 Season at 10th Annual 'Clash at Canyons'

The College of the Canyons men's basketball team opened its 2017-18 season by hosting the 10th annual 'Clash at Canyons' tourney, with the Cougars posting an impressive victory over Oxnard College on day one, before eventually falling to East Los Angeles College in Friday's championship game.

In Thursday's season opener vs. Oxnard, the Cougars shot 53 percent from the floor and out-rebounded the Condors 61-29, rolling to a 106-75 victory.

Canyons (1-1) committed 18 turnovers in the game to help keep Oxnard close, but the Cougars eventually pulled away in the second half.

COC sophomore Frankie Campbell posted a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds while freshman Jude Agbasi filled up the stat sheet with 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists off the bench. 

In all, five Cougars scored in double digits with sophomores Michael Kalu and Jacob Lilley dropping 13 apiece, and Robert Moss chipping in with 10 points and six rebounds. Kalu also had a game-high 11 rebounds. COC's bench combined to score 45 points in the winning effort.

The Canyons victory set up a championship game matchup vs. East Los Angeles on Friday.

Meanwhile, the Huskies (2-0) picked up an 87-73 win over Glendale College (0-2) on Thursday to stamp their ticket to the next round.

The championship game featured a rematch of the 2016 'Clash at Canyons' finale that saw the Huskies pull out a hard fought 87-84 victory over COC.

The Cougars started off the championship game on fire, jumping out to a quick 18-6 lead. However, the game changed when COC sophomore Philip Webb picked up his second foul.

That allowed Huskies' big man Jacob Tryon an opportunity to work the post, as he went on to collect six quick points and flipped the momentum of the game.

When Huskies' guard Isaac Etter hit a deep three-pointer at the halftime buzzer, the score ballooned to 42-29 in favor of East LA. It was a lead that the Huskies would never relinquish as Roderick Williams finished the game with 17 points and seven rebounds.

Kalu led Canyons with 15 points but COC committed 28 turnovers and shot just 37.8 percent from the field to limit any comeback opportunities. The Huskies eventually closed things out with a 73-50 final score.

For his efforts, Williams earned tournament MVP honors and was joined by Tryon on the All-Tournament Team. The five player team was rounded out by Chris Daniels of Glendale, as well as Agbasi and Campbell for Canyons.

The Cougars will return to the court at the 34th Fullerton College Classic on Wednesday, Nov. 8. Canyons will face Mt. San Jacinto in the opener, scheduled to tip at 5 p.m.

Stay up to date on all this season's action by following the College of the Canyons Athletic department on social media at @COCathletics on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.

— Brandon Johnson/COC Sports Information

—Photo credit Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information