A Different Team

Glendora, CA -- Between the first and second halves of the Citrus College Men's Basketball program's game against visiting Bakersfield College, the Owls looked like a different team. In the first half, the Owls weren't very good, shooting just 23.5% from the field and turning the ball over eight times. That all changed in the second half, as Citrus converted 53.8% of their shots and turned the ball over three fewer times en route to a 72-59 win over the Renegades.

Citrus came out of the gate just fine, hitting their first three shots, all threes, thanks to freshmen Steven Polee Jr., Justin Childress, and Jordan Jefferson. After Childress hit the back end of two free-throws, the Owls looked like they were off on the right foot up 10-4. The Owls continued to lead throughout most of the first half, until things began to change after a jumper by freshman Chris Reyes made it 24-18. Over the final five minutes, Bakersfield outscored Citrus 11-2, and went into halftime beating the Owls 29-26.

Out of the break, it didn't look like much would change as the Owls turned the ball over on their first two possessions. Citrus didn't panic though and slowly worked their way back into the game. Jefferson put the Owls back on the road to recovery with a jumper, that Reyes followed up with a pair of free-throws. Freshman Dominique Walker hit a jumper of his own, and before Bakersfield knew what had hit them Citrus had tied it back up 32 all with 15:32 to go.

The game would continue to be close, and Citrus wouldn't even take the lead back until sophomore Daniel Cheek hit a lay-up with 12:21 to go that put the Owls up 43-41. Citrus never returned it. The Owls pushed their lead to double-digits for the first time when Reyes hit one of his two three balls on the night to make it 61-49 with 6:47 to go. Bakersfield would try to rally late, pulling to within five with 3:30 to go, but Citrus closed out the game on a 10-2 run to preserve the victory.

In the win, Citrus was led by Cheek who scored a game high 21 points off the bench for the Owls. Reyes added 20 points and 17 rebounds, while Childress had 10 points, five assists, and a pair of steals.

With the win, Citrus improves to 13-7 overall and 6-3 in WSC South play. The Owls will hit the road on Wednesday for a big WSC South match-up with Antelope Valley College. Tip-off is set for 7:00 PM.