Gauchos sink Pirates for 28-2 finish

The Saddleback men's basketball team defeated Orange Coast College 92-69 in the final regular season game of the year.  The Gauchos (28-2) will now wait for a playoff announcement on Sunday.

Saddleback made a statement in the opening half, shooting 75% in opening up a 53-32 lead.  Particularly hot was Gaucho big man Conor Clifford, who was 6-for-6 from the field in leading Saddleback with 12 points.  The Gauchos shot 21-of-28 from the field, making 3-of-6 from three-point range and 8-of-11 from the free throw line. 

Orange Coast looked like a team ready to make a run to start the second half when they scored the first six points to cut the lead to 15 points.  The run was short-lived, however, as Saddleback stretched the lead to nearly 30 midway through the second half.  Andrew Bournes, Maleke Haynes and Daniel Young led Saddleback with seven points apiece in the second half as the Gauchos shot 61% from the field over the final 20 minutes. 

Saddleback finished 35-of-51 from the field for the night, outrebounding the Pirates 34-27.  Clifford finished with a game-high 18 points and seven rebounds.

Saddleback has a bye on Friday and will now wait for a playoff announcement on Sunday.  The Gauchos are expected to be a top-4 seed, which would have them playing at home next Saturday at 7:00 PM.  Keep it tuned to saddlebackgauchos.com for all the latest news.