Cougars Open Season With 102-82 Win Over Oxnard

By Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director 

 College of the Canyons roared back into the Cougar Cage on Thursday, claiming its first victory in more than 20 months with a 102-82 win over Oxnard College in the opening round of the 'Clash at Canyons' Tip-Off event.

The Cougars' last competition came on Feb. 21, 2020 in the 2019-20 regular season finale. Canyons athletics programs did not compete during the 2020-21 school year due to cancellations brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

That long layoff seemed to help bring about an energetic debut by the Cougars who out-rebounded the Condors 63-33 and received 68 bench points. 

Canyons (1-0) shot a combined 48.1 percent from the floor while limiting Oxnard to a mark of 38.6 percent. The Cougars defense also came away with three blocks and 11 steals. 

COC's Cameron McRae was 6-of-11 from the floor and 3-of-6 from downtown to finish with a team high 15 points.

Aaron Reyes added 13 points off the bench and pulled down a game high 12 rebounds, with five coming off the offensive glass.

Jimmy Galgano led the Cougars' starters with 13 points and nine rebounds to go with a block and a steal on the defensive end. 

Caden Arnold helped pace the offense with nine points and five assists, also adding three steals and going 7-of-8 from the foul line.

The Cougars took a slim 55-50 lead into the halftime locker room before finding separation across the final 20 minutes. They were helped by the Condors who shot just under 26 percent down the stretch.

Oxnard (0-1) saw four starters score in double digits, including a game high 32 from James Webster, but played a rotation of just eight players. The Condors only received seven points from its reserves. 

The Cougars will move on in the tournament bracket to host Barstow College in Saturday's championship game. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. at the Cougar Cage. 

The bracket's consolation game will begin at 1 p.m. and feature Oxnard taking on Cuyamaca College. Cuyamaca suffered a 77-71 loss to Barstow in the tournament's opening game on Thursday.

Archived footage of Thursday's games can be viewed on the Cougars Sports Network at any time. Saturday's games will also be broadcast live to fans. Check COCathletics.com for gameday links.

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. 

—Photo by Mari Kneisel / COC Sports Information