Bobcats cruise past Pirates

The Saddleback men's basketball team won its 12^th game of the season on Wednesday with a 95-72 win at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa.  The Bobcats trailed early before catching fire and cruising past the Pirates.

Saddleback trailed for the majority of the opening half, with Orange Coast holding the lead for 11.5 minutes.  The Bobcats finally grabbed back the lead with Elijah Al-Debaran buried a three-pointer with 3:13 remaining in the half for a 37-36 lead.  The Bobcats would quickly add to the lead, outscoring the Pirates 16-0 over the final four minutes of the half for a 48-36 lead at the intermission.

Saddleback scored the first four points of the second half as the Pirate cold streak continued.  In total, Orange Coast went over 6.5 minutes without scoring before finally making a bucket at the 17:24 mark of the second half to cut the Bobcat lead to 52-38. 

Saddleback had it on cruise control the rest of the way, opening up as much as a 33 point lead in the final minutes.  The Bobcats remained hot from the field, shooting 60% from the field for the night while making 11-of-13 from the free throw line. 

Atiba Taylor led Saddleback with 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field.  Taylor was one of six Bobcats to score in double-figures.  Jimuel Reyes had the hot hand from the outside, making 3-of-6 from long range in finishing with 19 points.  Charles Erving came off the bench to score 11 points while Gerald Jones III, Nick Bowden and Derek Rubidoux all scored 10 points apiece. 

Saddleback improved to 12-8 overall and 4-4 in Orange Empire Conference play with the win.  The Bobcats will host Santa Ana College on Friday night at 5:00 PM.