Men’s Basketball Leans on Second Half Spark, Defeats Bobcats for Third Straight

It was high energy from the opening jump as the Riverside City College men's basketball team played host to the Saddleback College Bobcats in Orange Empire Conference (OEC) play. The Tigers trailed by five points at halftime, but a dominant second half earned them a much needed victory to snag their third-consecutive win.

"We had a lot of energy tonight and we are getting closer as a team," said freshman guard Tomi Adesiji. "When we were losing, we were kind of a part a little, but coach [Phil Mathews] gave us a big speech and that brought us even closer."

Adesiji, who has hit some crucial shots for the Tigers later in many games, has tabbed himself as the team's deep threat. In the past three games, he has drained vital shots under three minutes to help the Tigers pull away with wins.

Saddleback averages 71 points-per-game and Riverside was able to hold them to 60 points; something no team has done since late November.

"We knew they had a bunch of shooters, so we knew we had to switch on everything. We were playing over screens and getting rebounds. That was a huge part – rebounds."

Riverside outrebounded the Bobcats 42-23 to dominate the glass. Offensively, Riverside outscored Saddleback by 12 points in the paint. Freshman Reggie Ward was a key factor in both areas as he recorded 15 points and 10 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the year. Every time he has recorded double-digit rebounds he has secured a double-double. Sophomore Raymond Hawkins followed with 11 points in the paint and five rebounds.

Turnovers haunted the Tigers in the first half as they coughed the ball up 18 times. They finished with a season-high 26 turnovers, but were smarter with their selections in the final 20 minutes.

Adesiji finished with 13 points, five rebounds and two steals to mark his fourth double-digit scoring game in the last five games. He missed out on a double-digit mark by one point in a win over Irvine Valley last Friday.

Sophomore guard Julian Alvarez earned his first start and had a tall task defensively and came through in the clutch. He held the Bobcat's top offensive weapon from long range to a mere 13 points. He added nine points on the offensive front. Freshman Darius McClain led the bench in scoring with eight points and four rebounds.