Gauchos unwrap Rustlers in win

The Saddleback men's basketball team won its second straight game with an 83-65 victory over Golden West College on Friday in Huntington Beach.  The Gauchos are now 2-0 in Orange Empire Conference play.

Saddleback took the lead at the 18:19 mark of the opening half when David Dial made a jumper for a 4-3 lead.  The Gauchos would never relinquish the lead, leading for the next 38+ minutes in opening their first package of the holiday season.

Dial would finish with his best game of the season, scoring a game-high 29 points on 11-of-16 shooting from the field while making all six of his free throws.  He even had a game-high seven assists and three steals, leaving very few cookies on the table for the Rustlers.

Saddleback took a 39-23 lead into the locker room at half time and stretched the lead in the final 20 minutes.  The Gauchos had their biggest lead of the game with 4:48 remaining when Dial made a layup for a 72-48 advantage in cruising to the win.

Saddleback shot 55% for the game and finally found their range from the outside.  Nik Lipovic made 5-of-9 from long range while the Gauchos were 14-of-18 from the free throw line.  Conversely, the Saddleback defense kept Golden West off balance all night as the Rustlers made just 1-of-15 shots from beyond the arc. 

Saddleback is now 8-5 overall and 2-0 in Orange Empire Conference play heading into the holiday break.  The Gauchos will host a non-conference game on December 30 against Glendale College before heading back into OEC play after the first of the year.  The Gauchos and Vaqueros will tip off at 1:00 PM in the Saddleback gymnasium on the 30^th.