Gauchos kick off rust against Tigers

The Saddleback men's basketball team ran its winning streak to 10 on Friday with a 71-54 win over Riverside City College at the Saddleback Gymnasium.  T.J. Shorts led the Gauchos with 16 points as Saddleback opened Orange Empire Conference play with a win.

Saddleback looked rusty through the first half, misfiring on 10 free throws as Riverside kept within an arms-length at 36-26 by making 9-of-10 of their own.  Shorts was the one player that looked in mid-season form, scoring 12 first-half points on 5-of-8 shooting. 

Saddleback continued to kick off the rust on the second half as Riverside cut the lead to six in the opening seven minutes.  Saddleback finally found its offense midway through the half, driving the lead to 17.  The Gauchos found some range in the second half as Maurice Jones (pictured) made a handful of shots.  Jones finished with 12 points on 4-for-9 shooting as Saddleback was 13-of-18 from the free throw line in the second 20 minutes.  Devonte Klines quietly finished with 13 points, scoring 10 in the second half on 3-of-5 shooting.

Saddleback improved to 16-1 overall for the year, starting 1-0 in Orange Empire Conference play.  The Gauchos will host Cypress College on Wednesday.  The Chargers are having their best season in years, starting out 15-3 overall and 2-0 in OEC play after beating Irvine Valley, 72-47, on Friday night.

The opening tip is scheduled for 5:00 PM on Wednesday.  For those that cannot make it to the game, you can watch it live on the Gauchos Sports Network.