Cougars Come Up Short in 66-65 Home Loss to Santa Barbara
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Santa Barbara
2-6
|
25 | 41 | 66 |
|
Canyons
2-6
|
23 | 42 | 65 |
Team Stats
Santa Barbara
| Game Statistics | Santa Barbara | Canyons |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (24-60) | (25-52) |
| Field Goal % | 40.0% | 48.1% |
| Rebounds | 35 | 32 |
| Assists | 10 | 10 |
| Turnovers | 7 | 11 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 7 | 9 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 13 | 12 |
| Pts in the Paint | 34 | 32 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 0 | 0 |
| Bench Pts | 13 | 20 |
By Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director
College of the Canyons nearly got back in the win column but was unable to hold on in the final seconds of an eventual 66-65 home loss to visiting Santa Barbara City College on Nov. 26, at the Cougar Cage.
Canyons (2-6) headed into halftime trailing 25-23 after a tight first half in which neither time fully took control.
The Cougars were able to open up a 33-29 advantage in the opening minutes of the second half after Raz Orbach was fouled on his layup, leading to a successful and-one attempt. COC also led 41-37 with 13 minutes to go in the game.
Santa Barbara (2-6) closed that gap, and retook the lead on a couple occasions, before the Cougars surged back ahead at 61-60 on Wyatt Wilson's layup and subsequent foul shot to complete the three-point play.
After a pair of free throws from Donovan Chapman the Cougars held a 63-60 lead with 1:33 to play. Canyons would score just once more down the stretch on another pair of free throws from Justin Perez that made it a 65-63 ballgame with under a minute to go.
Finally, it was Ajani Reid able to get to the hole for the Vaqueros to convert on the go-ahead bucket at 66-65 with just seconds remaining. COC head coach Howard Fisher attempted to call a final timeout but his request went unheard and time expired with the Vaqueros still ahead.
Canyons finished just 12-of-19 from the foul line, including a pair of misses down the stretch, which helped keep SBCC within striking distance. The Cougars shot better than 48 percent from the floor but were just 3-of-13 from three-point territory.
Orbach scored a game-high 20 points on an 8-of-12 shooting night. Chapman finished with 11 points as did reserve Gilad Ziegel. Perez finished the game with 10 and Wilson ended the game with eight, alongside three blocks on the defensive end. Stacy Webb pulled down seven rebounds and Donovan Cornelius came away with three steals.
Santa Barbara was led by 15 points from starters Julian Hicks and 14 from William Pace. Reid was the third starter to finish in double figures with 10 points and a game high 10 rebounds. Finn Whipps came off the bench with 11 points for the Vaqueros.
The Cougars return to play Saturday, Dec. 7 vs. Cuesta College with a 5 p.m. tipoff in the Cougar Cage. That game will be livestreamed to fans free of charge via YouTube on the Cougars Sports Network.
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 X, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
—Photo by Israel Martinez/COC Sports Information
