Citrus Overcomes Rough First Half in OCC Win

No. 10-ranked Citrus College overcame a rough first half and powered through to a 90-72 victory over Orange Coast College Tuesday afternoon.

The Owls improve to 3-1 with their third-straight win, while the Pirates slip to 1-2 on the year.

JJ Mitchell led the Owls with 18 points (7-for-13) off the bench and added 13 rebounds for a double-double. Tyrel Creger added 17 points (6-for-9), while Milk Khouzam chipped in 15 points (5-for-14).

Citrus dominated the glass, outrebounding OCC 61-to-42. Grant Martin added eight boards and Khouzam and Marlon Haggard had seven rebounds each.

At halftime, Citrus went into the locker room with just a three-point lead, 32-29, after shooting 30 percent from the floor, including 10 percent from three-point range.

The Owls turned things around in the second half, boasting a 53.7 shooting percentage from the floor and an impressive 47.4 percent from distance.

Citrus remains at home, hosting Cerritos College on Friday at 5 p.m.