Posted: Jan 25, 2013
at Riverside City College Tigers 74, Irvine Valley College Lasers 63 (Orange Empire Conf.)
Irvine Valley
(12-8, 4-2 OEC)
63
Riverside
(15-6, 5-1 OEC)
74
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Irvine Valley (12-8, 4-2 OEC) | 24 | 39 | 63 |
|
Riverside (15-6, 5-1 OEC) | 31 | 43 | 74 |
Riverside City (15-6, 5-1 OEC) made 13 of 24 field goal attempts (54.2%) in the first half to forge a 31-24 lead at the half. In the second half, RCC was even better at 13 of 18 (72.2%) to finish at 26 of 42 (61.9%).
RCC was tied four times, thrice in the second half (at 48, 50, and 52), but consecutive three-point field goals by sophomore guard Bernard Ireland (Rialto / Eisenhower HS) and sophomore guard Mason Biddle (Arlington HS) with 5:25 and 4:26 remaining, respectively, gave the Tigers leads of 59-54 and 62-56 to keep the pesky Lasers at bay.
Down the stretch, sophomore guard Dominique Lanier (Lakewood / Lakewood HS) had a driving layin to give RCC a 69-60 lead with 1:41 remaining to put this one away.
All five RCC starters scored in double figures, led by Biddle with 18 points (and a game-high nine assists), with Ireland and sophomore center Shannon Fowler (Corona / Roosevelt HS) adding 15 points each. Freshman forward Anthony Rounds (Perris / Citrus Hill HS) tossed in 11 points and Lanier added ten and a co-game-high six rebounds.
For Irvine Valley (12-8, 4-2 OEC), freshman guard Shaquille Hunter (Villa Park HS) led the Lasers with a game-high 19 points, including a trio of three-pointers. Sophomore forward Zach Mills (Esperanza HS) had some shooting problems from the floor (4 of 18), but still managed 16 points. Sophomore forward Michael Bolden (Trabuco Hills HS) tossed in 14 points and pulled down a co-game-high six rebounds.
Riverside continues OEC action on Wednesday, Jan. 30, at 5:30 p.m. Riverside hosts the Orange Coast College Pirates to open the second round of conference play.