Pirates rally late, but come up short in loss to Moorpark
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Moorpark (1-2) | 32 | 34 | 66 |
|
Orange Coast (1-3) | 23 | 39 | 62 |
COSTA MESA -- The Orange Coast College men's basketball team nearly came back from a 13-point, second-half deficit, but ran out of time in Friday night's 66-62 nonconference loss to visiting Moorpark College.
OCC (1-3) trailed 43-29 with just under 15 minutes left in the game before beginning a strong second-half rally. Coast cut the deficit down to three at 60-57 with 1:05 left and after a five-second violation was called on the Raiders (1-2), the Pirates had the ball with a chance to tie.
But, the turnover bug, which plagued the Pirates in the first half (16 turnovers) came back to bit them on the backside down the stretch. In fact, Coast forced three straight Moorpark turnovers, only to turn the ball back over to the Raiders on the very next possession.
The lead grew back up to six before a late 3-pointer by Devaun Evans made it a one-possession game with 6 seconds left. But the Raiders managed to hit an all-important free throw to push the lead back up to four, ending OCC's comeback bid.
Evans led the way for the Pirates with 13 points, while Noah Prouse added 11 points, six rebounds and five blocks.
For the Raiders, Austin Howell had 17 points and eight rebounds, while Shaquille Moore added 13 points, eight rebounds, five assists and six steals, leading a Raider defense that forced 25 OCC turnovers.
The Pirates will now take to the road for the next several weeks, starting with the Citrus College Tournament on Friday, Nov. 29. Coast won't be back inside the Peterson until Jan. 10 against Irvine Valley, beginning at 5:30 p.m.
