Citrus Cruises Past Orange Coast in 126-68 Win
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Orange Coast (0-2, 0-0) | 34 | 34 | 68 |
|
Citrus (2-0, 0-0) | 75 | 51 | 126 |
Citrus College Men's Basketball rolled to its second win of the season on Tuesday afternoon, defeating Orange Coast College 126-68 inside the Owls' Nest. The Owls go to 2-0 overall, while the Pirates go to 0-2 on the season.
The game remained close early before Citrus broke it open with a 15-0 run midway through the first half, fueled by relentless defensive pressure and transition scoring. The Owls forced 17 Pirate turnovers in the first half alone while shooting 66.7% from the field and knocking down 10-of-14 from three. Citrus led 75-36 at the break. Leo Ricketts led the way with 16 first-half points (4-for-4 from three), while JJ Sanchez added 11, and both Nathan Kwon and Dykan Victorio chipped in nine apiece.
The second half was more of the same, as the Owls continued to clamp down defensively — holding OCC to 36.1% shooting and 0-for-7 from beyond the arc. Rockwell Reynolds and Iaan Salmon helped pace Citrus out of the locker room, scoring 10 and nine points respectively in the half.
Citrus shot 49-of-82 (59.8%) from the field and 14-of-27 (51.9%) from three for the game, while limiting Orange Coast to 42.9% overall and 25% from deep. The Owls forced 22 turnovers, converting them into 61 points, and outscored the Pirates 60-34 in the paint. Citrus' bench also outscored OCC 46-23, and the Owls' largest lead reached 58 points.
Reynolds led Citrus with 20 points, nine rebounds, two assists and a block. Ricketts followed with 19 points, a game-high seven assists, three steals and three rebounds. Sanchez added 18 points, four assists and a steal, while Kwon finished with 12 points and three assists on 4-of-8 shooting from three. Salmon and Dev Hamilton each posted nine points off the bench. Citrus tied the program record for single-game team assists with 34, matching last year's performance versus Glendale.
Citrus hits the road for the first time this season on Friday, November 7, when the Owls travel to San Bernardino Valley College for a 5 p.m. matchup with the Wolverines.