Gauchos too much for Cypress in OEC opener

The Saddleback men's basketball team ran its winning streak to 13 games on Wednesday with a 82-43 win over Cypress College at the Saddleback Gymnasium.  The Gauchos jumped out to a big lead and cruised to the win in the Orange Empire Conference opener.

Saddleback darted to a 14-1 lead to start the game as the Gauchos were red hot from the field while Cypress had a tough time finding the bottom of the net.  Saddleback didn't have a starter on the court for close to 10 minutes in the opening frame, opening up a 35-18 lead at the break.  Cypress made just 21% of its shots in the first half, making just 1-of-13 from beyond the arc.  Meanwhile, the combination of Dusty Baker, Collin Host and the inside presence of Conor Clifford and Kyle Hoag were too much for the smaller Chargers.  The foursome combined for 26 points and 17 rebounds in just 46 total minutes of work. 

The second half was mostly garbage time as the lead hovered between 20-30 points while Saddleback had an opportunity to empty its bench.  Maleke Haynes had an assortment of no-look gems while Baker continued to frustrate a Cypress unit that had a handful of technical fouls in the final 20 minutes.  Baker would finish with a team-high 15 points as the game ended on a couple of exclamation point dunks by Daniel Young and Caleb Baskett.

Saddleback improved to 18-1 on the season with the win and will try to run the winning streak to 14 games on Friday at Santa Ana College.  Tip time is set for 7:00 PM.