Santiago Canyon Defeats Fullerton in Impressive Display, 118-73.

The Santiago Canyon College Men's Basketball Team displayed why they are the #2 ranked team in the state tonight.  The Hawks won impressively over #6 ranked Fullerton College by the score of 118-73. The victory avenged the Hawks only loss of the season when they fell in overtime at Fullerton.  This game was an offensive explosion as the Hawks used an array of weapons to overwhelm the Hornets.  Hot shooting has been key throughout the season and SCC was hot again.  After a defensive struggle for the first 8 minutes of the game, SCC's offense came to life.  The Hawks connected on 10 three-pointers in the half on 18 attempts and held a 53-28 advantage. Overall the team shot 17 for 34 from the floor for an even 50%, while holding Fullerton to 30% on 9 for 30 shooting. Leading the way in scoring was Antoine Jenkins with 14 points, including 2 threes. Paul Vilela added 13 points and 2 threes as well. Paulo Araujo came off the bench and contributed 10 points while knocking down 3 three-pointers. David Agba snared 6 rebounds in the half and also had 3 steals.

The second half started much like the first half ended.  Paul Vilela nailed a three from the corner on SCC's first possession and the Hawks kept it rolling throughout the half. Santiago Canyon finished the game with 21 made three-pointers to tie a school record set earlier this season when the Hawks connected on 21 threes against El Camino. This game, however, the Hawks only needed 38 attempts compared to 50 earlier. The 55.3% from the 3-point line was the second highest percentage of the season for SCC.  Earlier this season, SCC shot 19 for 30 (63.3%) vs LA Pierce. Antoine Jenkins led all scorers with 26 points on 8 for 13 shooting.  Paul Vilela and Paulo Araujo both contributed 19 points on the night. Araujo finished with 6 made threes on 9 attempts for the evening.  A.J. Garrity scored all 13 of his points in the 2nd Half, while Tyler Goodlow and Lucas Holden chipped in with 12 points and 10 points, respectively. Agba and Araujo shared team highs with 8 rebounds apiece, while Garrity and Vilela shared team highs with 6 assists each. SCC's defense was stellar throughout as shown by their 10 steals and limiting Fullerton to 22.7% from beyond the arc.  

SCC is now 24-1 on the season and 12-1 in the Orange Empire Conference.  The Hawks sit 1/2 game in front of Riverside City in the standings.  SCC travels to Riverside to take on the Tigers on Thursday Night.  Tip-off is set for 7pm.