Pirates fight hard, but fall late to Saddleback
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Saddleback (22-2, 5-1) | 35 | 35 | 70 |
|
Orange Coast (4-13, 2-3) | 23 | 32 | 55 |
COSTA MESA -- The Orange Coast College men's basketball team pushed one of the top teams in the state late into the second half, but in the end, the Pirates came up short, losing to visiting Saddleback, 70-55, on Friday night in an Orange Empire Conference matchup played inside the Peterson Gym.
Trailing by 12 at the half, the Pirates (4-13, 2-3 in OEC) crept back into the game with a pressure defense that forced 18 Gaucho turnovers and got the hosts back to within striking distance.
With just over five minutes remaining, OCC trailed by six and a drive and basket by Davasyia Hagger would have gotten the Pirates to within three, but the play was called off for an offensive foul, keeping the Gauchos (22-2, 5-1) safely out in front.
From there, the bigger guests wore the pesky Pirates down and finished comfortably ahead the rest of the way.
Hagger finished with 17 points and five steals, while Henry Nguyen drained three 3-pointers and finished with 10 points.
Despite being out-rebounded 44-23, Coast stayed in the game by forcing Saddleback into mistakes, but the Pirates couldn't capitalize, especially at the free-throw line, where they hit just 11-of-24 from the charity stripe.
Seven-foot-tall Connor Clifford led Saddleback with 15 points and five rebounds. Collin Host and Andrew Bournes each added 14 points, while Dusty Baker chipped in 11.
The Pirates will return to action on Wednesday at home against Cypress, beginning at 7 p.m.
