Basketball Teams Open Up Orange Empire Conference Play on Wednesday

The men's and women's basketball teams will open up Orange Empire Conference play on Wednesday when both teams travel to Saddleback College. The women's team will play first at 5:00 pm, with the men to follow at 7:00 pm. The Chargers then return home on Friday, Jan. 9 to host Riverside (women at 5/men at 7).

The women's team ended the non-conference portion of its schedule with an impressive record of 12-5 as the Lady Chargers won three of the four tournament they played in, including their own Lady Charger Classic. The ladies ended the first half of the season ranked fifth in the south region. The team's first opponent, Saddleback, is not ranked and heads into OEC play with a 9-8 record. Riverside was ranked 14^th in the final poll of 2014 and has a record of 11-5.

The men's team has already equaled last year's win total (7-8) after playing every single non-conference game on the road, including three tournaments. In the team's final tournament of the year at San Diego Mesa, the Chargers fell in the championship to OEC foe Santa Ana by just one point. The team first faces Saddleback, the No. 1 ranked team in the state and south region (17-1) on Wednesday before hosting Riverside (5-10) on Friday.