Tigers (6-2) Settle For Sixth at San Bernardino Valley's Alvin Hunter Classic; RCC Idle Until Dec. 1

SAN BERNARDINO -- Sandwiching a pair of losses around a victory last weekend, the Riverside City College (RCC) Tigers men's basketball team will be idle for another week before returning to action on Dec. 1.

Riverside City (6-2 overall) is coming off a 79-71 loss to the Antelope Valley College (AVC) Marauders last Sunday (Nov. 20) in the fifth-place game of the Alvin Hunter at San Bernardino Valley College. Two weeks earlier (Nov. 5), RCC edged AVC, 83-77, in the championship final of the "We Play Hard" Tournament at Ventura College.

RCC opened Alvin Hunter Classic tournament action with a 96-92 overtime loss to the West Los Angeles College Wildcats last Friday (Nov. 18) which dropped it into the loser's barcket where it posted a 79-73 overtime win over the Victor Valley College (VVC) Rams last Saturday (Nov. 19) in a consolation semifinal game.

In the 96-92 overtime loss to West L.A., Riverside led, 83-79, with 1:22 left in regulation before WLAC's Craig Owens made a layin with 1:07 left and a pair of free throws with :23 left tied the game at 83-83 and sent the game to overtime. With Riverside leading, 90-88, with 1:34 left, an 8-0 WLAC run gave the Wildcats a 96-90 lead.

RCC freshman guard Brae Ivey (Huntington Beach / Edison HS '15) came off the bench to lead the Tigers with 17 points, including seven of seven from the free throw line, and added seven rebounds. Freshman forward William "Frankie" McQuay (Moreno Valley / Canyon Springs HS) had six points and a team-high eight rebounds.

In the 83-77 win over Victor Valley, RCC had its ups and downs. The Tigers led, 15-1, built a 28-10 lead with 4:21 to play in the first half, and led 33-29, at halftime, only to fall behind ounds38-37 (with 16:43 to play) and 53-45 (with 8:14 left in regulation) before the game went into overtime, tied at 64-64.

In the extra session, freshman guard Brandon Thomas (Woodland Hills / Taft HS '16) gave the Tigers the lead for good at 67-64 on a three-pointer with 4:50 to play and Ivey made four free throws in the final 52 seconds to seal the deal for Riverside.

Against AVC, Riverside led, 36-32, at halftime. Again, Ivey was high-point man for the Tigers, this time with 18 points. Thomas added 15 points and a co-game-high nine rebounds.

Next week, the Tigers will participate in the Mt. San Jacinto Tournament and will meet the San Diego Mesa College (SDMC) Olympians on Thursday, Dec. 1, in a 1 p.m. tipoff.

The Tigers will continue play away from home until Tuesday, Dec. 6, when they entertain the California Miramar University junior varsity team in the opening round of the 45th Annual Riverside Holiday Tournament.

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