Gauchos cruise to 18th straight

The Saddleback men's basketball team ran its winning streak to 18 games on Tuesday night with a 92-55 win over Santa Ana College at the Saddleback Gymnasium.  The Gauchos shot 58% from the field in improving to 24-1.

Santa Ana played gamely through the opening 11 minutes, holding a 19-18 lead by making some tough shots along the way.  The Gauchos then hit the gas pedal, outscoring Santa Ana 28-9 and shooting 61% for the half.  Breaon Brady scored 12 points and T.J. Shorts 11 as the Dons had no answer inside for the much bigger Gaucho lineup.  Saddleback held a 32-8 advantage in points in the paint over the first 20 minutes, with most of the made shots coming within three feet of the basket.

The Gauchos quickly built the lead to 25 in the opening four minutes of the second frame, giving ample opportunities for Saddleback to go deep into the bench.  The roster erupted with 9:26 remaining when Hayden Fredrick went to the hole for an easy basket.  It again went bananas 40 seconds later when Daniel Young had a thunderous dunk to put the Gauchos up 71-40 with 8:46 remaining.  Frederick would finish with eight points while Young (pictured) had 10 points and six rebounds.

Making things worse was a Santa Ana team that couldn't buy a basket in the second half.  The Dons went more than nine minutes without a field goal as Saddleback increased the lead 44 at one point.  The only thing more active were the officials, who whistled the Gauchos for 18 fouls in the second half, allowing Santa Ana to shoot 20 free throws.  Saddleback finished with a 62-16 advantage in points in the paint for the night.

Saddleback is now 24-1 for the season and has won 18-straight games.  The Gauchos will look to extend the streak on Thursday when they travel to Irvine Valley College.  Tip time is scheduled for 7:00 PM.