Hawks Overcome First Half Deficit in OEC Opener

The No. 15 Santiago Canyon College men's basketball team overcame a six-point halftime deficit to defeat the No. 10 Santa Ana College Dons, 104-93, in their Orange Empire Conference (OEC) opener on the road Wednesday night. The Hawks turned on the burners in the second half, outscoring the Dons by 17 points in the final 20 minutes.

Sophomore Chico Lopez took control for Santiago Canyon, finishing with a team-high 24 points on an impressive 8-of-9 shooting. He added four three-pointers and was the only player to reach double digits in the first half, making it a season-best performance with six rebounds.

Lopez, coming off the bench, was joined by all five starters in double-digit scoring. Sophomore Salim Semaan posted his third double-digit game in the last four contests with 19 points, adding five rebounds, four assists, and one steal — his highest scoring output since early December.

Freshman Jacob De Armas also scored 19 points and grabbed six rebounds, extending his double-digit scoring streak to six consecutive games. On defense, he set a career-high with six blocked shots.

Sophomore center Ryan Weber came just one rebound short of a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds. Freshman Dominic Bolton contributed 15 points on 4-of-8 shooting, including six free throws from eight attempts. Freshman Paris Lassiter added 12 points and led the team with five assists.

The Hawks shot 58.1% as a team, including 43.5% from beyond the arc. Despite a season-high 22 turnovers, Santiago Canyon scored a season-high 104 points, surpassing the century mark for the first time this season.