SCC Captures 100th win and Starts Conference Play with a Victory over Saddleback College.

Tonight was the start of the Orange Empire Conference play for Santiago Canyon College.  The Hawks hosted Saddleback College. Both teams are expected to be at the top of the standings in conference play, so it was an important early matchup.  SCC came out fast and Saddleback answered.  The game went back and forth with neither team building more than an 8-point lead. The Hawks were able to make the final push and ended up with the victory by a score of 81-76.  With the win, SCC is now 8-4 overall on the season and 1-0 in conference play. It was also a milestone win for the program, as it was the 100th win for men's basketball in just their 5th season. 

The first half saw both teams shooting at a high clip as the Bobcats shot 61.3% from the floor, while SCC shot 61.8% overall.  Both teams connected on 5 three-pointers as well. Leading the way for the Hawks was Zach Ibbetson and Kai Smith who both scored 11 points in the half.  Ibbetson was a perfect 3 for 3 from the field and 2 for 2 at the free throw line. The efficient offensive play for both teams led to a 44-43 edge for Saddleback at the half. 

The second half was just as entertaining as both teams went back and forth making plays and hitting shots. However, the last five minutes of the game was a defensive battle as both teams made stops, but were unable to capitalize on the offensive end of the court.  SCC was able to build a 5-point lead with three minutes to go in the game and pulled out the tight victory as they made some crucial stops to secure the win. Leading the way in scoring was Ibbetson who finished with a game high 25 points on 8 for 11 shooting, including 7 for 9 from deep. He also grabbed 6 rebounds. Smith and Aaron Wadman scored 16 points on the night and also both players grabbed a team high 7 rebounds. Rounding out the double digit scorers for SCC was Harrison Wiese who finished with 11 points. Damien Parker dished out 5 assists to lead the Hawks. 

With the win, the Santiago Canyon College Men's Basketball Program earned their 100th win in program history.  They have had four consecutive 20 or more win seasons since the inception of the program and are currently in their fifth season of basketball. SCC will look to continue their success in conference play with a road game on Thursday, December 22 as they play at Riverside City College. Tip-off is set for 5:00pm.