Pirates tamed by Tigers, 94-72
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Riverside (13-8, 2-3) | 45 | 49 | 94 |
|
Orange Coast (3-19, 1-5) | 31 | 41 | 72 |
COSTA MESA -- The Orange Coast College men's basketball team saw visiting Riverside City College enjoy success from beyond the arc as the Tigers prevailed, 94-72, on Friday night inside the Peterson Gym.
The Tigers (13-8, 2-3 in Orange Empire Conference) nailed 16 3-pointers, including nine treys from leading scorer Otto Taylor, who finished with 30 points.
For the Pirates (3-19, 1-5), Nate Harding came off the bench to lead the way with 19 points, while Malik Skillern added 12 and Jonathan Ileleji added 11.
The Coast defense kept the pressure on the Tigers and forced 18 turnovers, but the RCC size minimized the damage of those mistakes with a 50-27 advantage in the rebounding column.
While the offense tried to keep things close, Riverside found its success from downtown and led 45-31 at the break, highlighted by a Tyree Winborn jumper at the buzzer.
Riverside came out swinging early in the second half and scored the first eight points to blow the game open at 53-31. A mini-run by the Pirates got them to within 16, but the hosts would not get any closer the rest of the evening.
OCC will return to action on Wednesday at Fullerton College before returning to the Peterson Gym on Friday night against Irvine Valley. Both games will begin at 5 p.m.
