Hot First-half Shooting Helps Host Tigers to 101-79 Orange Empire Conference Win over Santa Ana

RIVERSIDE -- Aided by tremendous first-half shooting, the Riverside City College (RCC) Tigers men's basketball team opened Orange Empire Conference (OEC) action with a solid 101-79 home win over the visiting Santa Ana College (SAC) Dons Wednesday evening (Jan. 6) at legendary Arthur N. Wheelock Gymnasium on the RCC campus.

Riverside (9-8 overall, 1-0 OEC) was 24 of 35 (68.6%) from the floor in the opening stanza, including 11 of 16 (68.8%) from three-point country to lead, 62-43, at halftime. Freshman guard Andy Cleaves was nine of 11 in the first half, including five of six on three-pointers for 23 points in only 13 minutes. Cleaves finished with a game-high 31 points.

Santa Ana (4-11, 0-1 OEC) wasn't shabby in the first half as the Dons made 14 of 25 (56.0%) field goals, including six of 14 (42.9%) on treys, and nine of ten on free throws.

In addition to Cleaves, sophomore forward Sage Woodruff (Los Angeles / Fairfax HS '14) added 13 points and a game-high eight rebounds, and freshman guard Tramel Wilson (Hawthorne / Washington Prep. '15) added 18 points. Sophomore guard Antonio Mayfield (Milwaukee, WI) dished out 13 assists, ten in the first half.

For Santa Ana, Noah Wellington had a team-high 23 points and guard Roger Hamel added 19.

Riverside returns to action on Friday, Jan. 8, when it faces the state's top-ranked team, the Saddleback College Gauchos (15-1, 0-0 OEC) in a 5 p.m. tipoff.

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