Citrus Takes Down Bakersfield to Start Conference

No. 5-ranked Citrus College opened Western State Conference with a 76-63 victory over Bakersfield College Wednesday night.

The Owls improve to 13-2 on the year with their 10^th-straight win and begin WSC-South action at 1-0. The Renegades drop to 8-7 overall and 0-1 in conference.

Three Owls finished the night in double figures led by Anthony Tello's 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting. Aibigho Ujadughele followed with 19 points (7-for-11) and had six steals defensively. Jayden Johnston rounded out the scorers with double-digit points, chipping in 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting. He also grabbed a team-high six rebounds to help the Owls win the glass.

The Owls found themselves trailing by eight points in the first half, 22-14, but Johnston drilled a three-pointer to spark Citrus' offense. After pulling within one, Tello stole the ball away and scored on the fastbreak to put the Owls in front before Johnston grabbed a steal and teamed up with Tello to increase Citrus' lead to three, 25-22.

Bakersfield tried to keep it close, but a big trey from Johnston put the Owls up 34-29 at halftime.

The Owls pulled away in the second half and never looked back, holding as high as a 21-point lead with just under five minutes to play. The Renegades managed to chip away a little at the margin but the Owls secured the 76-63 victory.

Citrus hosts Santa Monica College on Saturday, tipping off at 5:30 p.m. in the Owls' Nest.