Cypress (3-4) finished the first half on a 21-2 run to take control of the game, and then held off a late rally by Rio Hondo (2-7) to edge the stubborn Roadrunners, 80-72, Wednesday night in a non-conference game.
SF Sean Starkey drained 5 threes and had 18 pts for the Chargers, who led the entire second half but saw their advantage shrink to just 3 points with 2:35 remaining. But thanks to a pair of baskets by Starkey, Cypress maintained the lead, and finally sealed the win when Ctr Thomas Lopshire made a pair of free throws with 7.9 seconds left.
Rio Hondo got a 3-pointer from PF Jonathan Cutkelvin to start the game, and built a 26-19 lead with 7:20 left in the first half. But then Cypress went on a 16-0 run to take the lead, and extended that to a 21-2 run to go ahead, 40-28, at halftime.
Early in the second half, Cypress pushed the margin to 17 at 47-30 after a 3-pointer by PG Jimmy Nguyen less than two minutes after halftime. But three straight threes by SG Nathan Mohri helped get Rio Hondo back in the game, and the Roadrunners got the lead to 7 at 51-44 after a 3-pointer by SF Darryl Alexander midway through the second half.
Cypress kept the lead the rest of the way, but Rio Hondo continued to chip away at the margin, even after Alexander fouled out with 3:39 left. A baseline drive by SG Quincy Thrower and a 3-pointer by Cutkelvin made it 71-68 with 2:35 remaining.
But then came Starkey's two key baskets, the first on a nice pass from Ctr Baron McCray and the second a 3-pointer that made it 76-68. Rio Hondo made one more late charge to make it 78-72 after Cutkelvin's final basket with 9.9 seconds left, but a pair of free throws by Lopshire exactly two seconds later made it an 8-point game and clinched the win for the Chargers.
Starkey led the way for Cypress with his 18 pts, and added 8 rebs and 3 blocked shots. McCray had 11 pts and 8 rebs, and PF John Staats had a double-double with 10 pts and a team-high 11 rebs.
The Chargers also got a lift from the bench, with PG Nick Becker (7 pts, 3 asts), Lopshire (8 pts, 7 rebs) and SG Rufus Jemison (9 pts, 2 steals) all turning in strong performances.
For Rio Hondo, Alexander had a team-high 20 pts despite battling foul trouble in the second half. And Cutkelvin had a huge game with 19 pts and a game-high 14 rebs for the double-double. Mohri added 12 pts plus 7 rebs and 4 asts.
box score
Wednesday, December 3, 2008 - 5:30 pm
at Cypress College
Rio Hondo Roadrunners 72:
2-Nathan Mohri, SG - 3/10 fg, 3/4 ft, 7 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl, 12 pts
3-Maurice Cole, PG - 1/9 fg, 3/6 ft, 5 reb, 7 ast, 1 blk, 5 pts
11-Darryl Alexander, SF - 6/14 fg, 5/6 ft, 1 reb, 2 ast, 5 pf, 20 pts
44-Jonathan Cutkelvin, PF - 6/15 fg, 5/7 ft, 14 reb, 2 blk, 3 stl, 4 pf, 19 pts
55-Dusty Simcox, C - 1/3 fg, 4/5 ft, 4 reb, 2 ast, 3 pf, 6 pts
14-Quincy Thrower, G - 2/4 fg, 1/2 ft, 2 reb, 1 stl, 3 pf, 5 pts
24-Christopher Humphries, F - 1/9 fg, 1 reb, 2 stl, 1 pf, 2 pts
41-Ronald Anthony, C - 0/2 fg, 2 reb, 1 ast, 3 pf, 0 pts
50-Jeffrey Akajiobi, C - 1/3 fg, 1/2 ft, 1 reb, 1 blk, 3 pf, 3 pts
5-Alex Villacis, G - 0/1 fg, 0 pts
team rebounds: 11
Totals: 21/70 fg (.300), 22/32 ft (.688), 48 reb, 16 ast, 4 blk, 7 stl, 22 pf, 72 pts
3-pt fg (8): Mohri 3, Alexander 3, Cutkelvin 2
Fouled Out: Alexander 3:39 left
Turnovers (11): Cole 2, Cutkelvin 2, Thrower 2, Anthony 2, Akajiobi 2, Alexander
Cypress Chargers 80:
3-John Staats, PF - 3/11 fg, 2/4 ft, 11 reb, 2 ast, 2 blk, 1 stl, 2 pf, 10 pts
4-DuWayne King, SG - 3/4 fg, 1/2 ft, 4 reb, 3 ast, 5 pf, 7 pts
10-Jimmy Nguyen, PG - 2/8 fg, 3 reb, 6 ast, 1 stl, 1 pf, 6 pts
32-Sean Starkey, SF - 6/16 fg, 1/2 ft, 8 reb, 1 ast, 3 blk, 2 pf, 18 pts
45-Baron McCray, C - 5/6 fg, 1/4 ft, 8 reb, 1 ast, 3 pf, 11 pts
15-Tim Austin, G - 1 ast, 0 pts
20-Nick Becker, G - 2/6 fg, 3/4 ft, 1 reb, 3 ast, 2 pf, 7 pts
44-Brad Johnson, F - 0/2 fg, 2 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 1 pf, 0 pts
42-Devon Adams, C - 1/4 fg, 2 reb, 2 pf, 2 pts
35-Troy Baugh, F - 1/2 fg, 2 pf, 2 pts
50-Thomas Lopshire, C - 1/3 fg, 6/6 ft, 7 reb, 2 blk, 2 pf, 8 pts
33-Rufus Jemison, G - 2/4 fg, 4/4 ft, 3 reb, 2 stl, 2 pf, 9 pts
team rebounds: 3
Totals: 26/66 fg (.394), 18/26 ft (.692), 52 reb, 18 ast, 8 blk, 4 stl, 25 pf, 80 pts
3-pt fg (8): Starkey 5, Staats 2, Nguyen 2, Jemison
Fouled Out: King 5:37 left
Turnovers (13): McCray 3, Staats 2, Nguyen 2, Becker 2, Baugh 2, King, Johnson
Halftime Score: Cypress 40, Rio Hondo 28
Updated Records: Cypress 3-4, Rio Hondo 2-7
Rio Hondo led 26-19 with 7:20 left in the 1st, but then Cypress ended the half on a 21-2 run. Cypress led by as much as 17 at 47-30 early in the second. Rio Hondo closed it to 3 at 71-68 with 2:35 left but could get no closer.
