No quit in Pirates in loss to Bobcats
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Orange Coast (10-15, 4-9) | 30 | 30 | 60 |
|
Saddleback (15-11, 8-6) | 39 | 27 | 66 |
MISSION VIEJO -- The Orange Coast College men's basketball team continues to push through the end of the 2023-24 season as the Pirates put up a good fight, but came up short to host Saddleback College, 66-60 on Tuesday night.
Cody Aquino had 19 points to lead the Pirates, while Cade Dickey added 15. Mitchell Rawlins led the Pirate boards with six rebounds, while Josh Govett paced the offense with four assists.
The Pirates fell behind early by as many as 16 but trimmed the deficit down to nine at the half, 39-30. Coast continued to fight and used a 20-12 run through the first 10 minutes of the second half to pull within a point at 51-50. But from there, the Bobcats responded and held OCC off the scoreboard for the next five-plus minutes, building the lead back up to 10 with 4:53 remaining.
But Coast continued to fight and pulled back to within a basket (60-58) with 53 seconds remaining. After a missed Saddleback free throw, Coast had the ball with a chance to tie or even take the lead, but a missed 3-point attempt was rebounded by the Bobcats and after a quick foul, they hit their free throws down the stretch to preserve the win.
The Pirates will return to action on Thursday at home against rival Golden West College, beginning at 5 p.m.
