Unfortunate loss for Gauchos
The Saddleback men’s basketball team suffered a key loss Friday night, dropping them into third place in OEC play, when they fell to the Lasers at Irvine, 56-42.
Although there was an energetic and loud group of Gaucho “road warriors,” fans whom travel to away games, present to root for their beloved basketball team, the men could not find their rhythm to pull the important win.
Sheena Joveini, a 20-year-old Saddleback student and ASG member said, “…all the way from Laguna Niguel.”
Joveini said, “[She is a] huge Gauchos basketball fan…the free ‘road warrior t-shirts’ were just an added bonus.”
The support of the fans led the Gauchos to a strong first half that actually had them leading at the break, 26-22.
With a shooting percentage of only 33.3 percent as compared to the Lasers 44.2 percent, even the 29 rebounds the men pulled could not save them.
Guard Dayton Boddie had positive stats for the game, with 10 points and four rebounds. Another guard, Bryan Fisher scored two points, had three rebounds and had four assists.
The Gauchos did come back to lead at one point after the break when De’Corrius Sampson-Young made a layup to bring them back to a score of 38-37, Saddleback.
In the second half there was only 7-of-22 shots made in the final 20 minutes, including 0-of-4 made from outside the paint.
The loss has put the men’s team at 20-5 for the overall season and 6-2 in the Orange Empire Conference.
Saddleback will attempt improve their record when they play against the Dons at Santa Ana College, Feb. 19 at 7:30 p.m.