Second Half Surge Earns Men's Basketball Seventh-Straight Win

It was safe to say that the Santiago Canyon College men's basketball team entered its non-conference matchup against the Mt. San Antonio College Mounties hungry,  and not just because Thanksgiving is right around the corner. The Hawks had been plagued by the Mounties the past two years, having dropped their previous two meetings. This time, however, a dominant second half propelled the Hawks to an 82–75 victory, extending their winning streak to seven straight games.

The Hawks, now 7–0, are off to their best start since the 2019–20 season, when they opened the year 16–0. That same season, they defeated Mt. SAC by 18 points.

Santiago Canyon struggled early as the Mounties jumped out to an 11-point lead within the first seven minutes. The Hawks chipped away, beginning with a layup from freshman Dominic Bolton followed by a three-pointer on the next possession. Freshman Cayden Hong knocked down a jumper, and another Bolton bucket cut the deficit to three midway through the first half.

Sophomore Selim Semaan pulled the Hawks within two with a layup near the five-minute mark, but an 11–3 Mt. SAC run pushed the Mounties ahead by eight heading into halftime.

After making key adjustments at the break, the Hawks surged back. Freshman Jayden Oei opened the second half with a three-pointer, later adding a layup that brought Santiago Canyon within two. Four minutes later, freshman Jacob De Armas drew a foul and hit one of two free throws to tie the game with 12 minutes remaining.

A seven-point burst gave the Hawks their first lead of the night, highlighted by De Armas sinking two free throws and sophomore Chico Lopez grabbing a steal and scoring in transition to put the Hawks ahead 59–57 with 10 minutes to play. An 8–0 run soon followed, capped by an emphatic dunk from Lopez, giving Santiago Canyon more cushion on the way to a seven-point win.

De Armas led the Hawks with 16 points, adding four assists, four steals, three rebounds, and a block. Semaan and Lopez each scored 15, with Semaan finishing one rebound shy of a double-double, while Lopez collected seven boards and swatted three shots.

Bolton provided strong production off the bench with 12 points, and freshman Paris Lassiter contributed nine points, seven rebounds, and five assists.