Cypress, CA – The Cypress College men's basketball team (18-5, 5-2 OEC) completes the sweep of Orange Coast (8-13, 3-4 OEC) this season with a gritty 82-73 victory.
The Chargers attempted 29 free throws, converting 24, and outrebounded their opponents 31-21. Jordan Fleck led the team with 23 points and eight rebounds while Jeremy Wright scored 15 points and dished out five assists with two steals. Aidan Ptasznik led the Pirates with 15 points on a perfect 5-of-5 from the field and 4-of-4 from the line.
Cypress found their rhythm on offense early as an assisted layup from O'Shae Williams sparked the team on an 11-2 run with 12:55 left in the half. Shortly following the run, Nolan Kelly drilled back-to-back three-pointers to give the Chargers a 29-16 lead. Leading 37-22, the Chargers missed all six of their shots in the final four minutes but managed to hold the Pirates to only five points, taking a 37-27 lead into the break.
Orange Coast refused to go down easily and managed give the Chargers a scare during the second half. Shooting 64%, the Pirates scored a majority of their points inside the paint and at the foul line. Trailing 58-46, the Pirates went on a 6-0 run with 7:47 left to bring the deficit down to single digits. However, Fleck's layup followed by a lone free throw and another three-pointer from Nolan Kelly brought the Chargers lead back by 12. The two teams exchanged baskets for the remaining three minutes of the half, neither team scoring more than two consecutive buckets. In what was a grind-it-out slugfest, the Chargers emerged on top.
The team will face Irvine Valley on the road Wednesday, February 3rd at 7:00PM and return home on Friday, February 5th to host Saddleback at 7:00PM.
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