Gauchos hang on for 15th straight win

The Saddleback men's basketball team won its 15^th straight game on Wednesday night with a 70-66 victory at Orange Coast College.  Lyle Hexom scored 16 points off the bench as the Gauchos held off a Pirate team smelling upset.

Saddleback fired out of the gate quickly, scoring the first seven points of the game over the opening 3.5 minutes.  They increased the lead to 11 at 18-7 when Hexom made a layup with 11:35 remaining in the half.  From that point forward, Orange Coast chipped away at the lead while Saddleback hit a dry spell.  The Gauchos scored just five points over the next six minutes as the Pirates evened the score at 23-23 with 5:40 remaining. 

Saddleback made another run before the half as Charles Trotter drilled a three-point shot with 1:26 remaining to up the lead to 34-27.  The Gauchos would head to the locker room with a 34-29 lead.

Orange Coast came out of the locker room hot, scoring the first six points of the half to take a 35-34 lead with 17:40 remaining.  The teams would trade baskets over the next six minutes, with Saddleback taking a 44-41 lead on two Hexom free throws with 13:34 left in the game. 

The game then took a turn as Saddleback couldn't buy a basket over the next 4:46.  The Gauchos failed to score, missing all of their shots from the field, three straight free throws and turning the ball over twice while the Pirates surged ahead for a 46-44 lead. 

Saddleback then started going to the glass, with Jalen Hall making two straight layups followed by a layup from Breaon Brady as the Gauchos grabbed back the lead at 50-48 with 7:04 remaining.  Saddleback also got to the line as Brady, T.J. Shorts and Hexom all converted twice for a 58-54 lead with 3:44 left in the game.   

The lead again dwindled to one point with just over a minute remaining, but with Orange Coast in the double-bonus the Gauchos again got aggressive.  Saddleback made 10-of-11 free throws in the final minute as Josh Mishler (2-for-2), Hexom (4-for-4), Devonte Klines (2-for-2) and Shorts (2-of-3) made the Pirates pay.  Orange Coast had five points in the final seconds to draw within four with three seconds remaining, but the clock ran out on Orange Coast as the Gauchos held on to sole possession of first place in the Orange Empire Conference.

Saddleback is off for a bye on Friday and will play again next Wednesday at Riverside College.  Tip time is scheduled for 7:00 PM.