Cypress, CA – The Men's basketball team (19-6, 6-3 OEC) almost came away with the upset over Saddleback College (23-1, 8-0 OEC) on Friday night but they couldn't hang on as the Gauchos extended their win streak to 17 with a 79-76 victory.
Nolan Kelly had a phenomenal game for the Chargers, scoring 26 points on 8-of-10 shooting, including a perfect 7-of-7 from three-point range. Jeremy Wright added 21 points, six assists and five rebounds. The Gauchos point guard T.J. Shorts managed the game with 17 points and five assists while Breaon Brady dominated the paint with 24 points and eight rebounds.
Up 8-7 with 13:28 left in the half, the Chargers grinded out a 14-6 run thanks to a pair of three-pointers from Nolan Kelly to put the Cypress ahead 22-13. Cypress continued to increase thieir lead as Austin Payne recovered an offensive rebound off Jordan Fleck's miss, Jeremy Wright rewarded Payne by finding him in the corner for the three, giving the Chargers a 41-29 lead with four minutes left in the half. In the final minutes of the half, the Gauchos stifled the Chargers on defense to spark a 9-2 run, cutting the Chargers' lead to 43-38 at the break.
During the second half, the Gauchos ability to score in the paint and get to the free throw line gave the Chargers problems on the defensive end. The Chargers struggled to contain Saddleback's big men, Breaon Brady and Lyle Hexom, as the two combined for 15 points and 10 rebounds in the second half. The Gauchos tied the game at 64 apiece after hitting two free throws with seven minutes left.
The two teams went back and forth throughout the final minutes, but the Gauchos took a 75-73 lead with a minute remaining. Wright responded on the next play by finding Kelly at the top of the arc. The sophomore shooting guard knocked down a long distance three over a defender to give Cypress a 76-75 lead. The Gauchos responded by finding Brady in the paint for the layup to regain the lead with 27 seconds left. After the Gauchos called timeout, O'Shae Williams found the lane and drove to the basket, but Saddleback crowded the paint and got him to miss. Williams had to foul to send the Gauchos to the free throw line, Jalen Hall missed both his attempts. However, Cypress failed to grab the rebound, putting Saddleback on the line again with 10 seconds remaining. Charles Trotter made both of his free throw attempts to put the Gauchos up by three. Cypress pushed the ball up the court after the made free throw and Wright pulled up a long three-pointer that fell short to end the game.
The Chargers will hit the road on Tuesday night to face Riverside at 7 PM followed by another road game against Santa Ana on Wednesday, February 17 at 7 PM.
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