The 14th-ranked College of the Canyons Cougars (7-3) won their 5th straight game with a 70-65 decision over visiting Porterville (3-5) Tuesday evening in Valencia.
COC never trailed, taking a 3-0 lead on SG Andre Murray's three in the opening moments of the game. And COC pushed that lead to 12-2 in the first few minutes. But Porterville made 10 of its first 11 shots of the game and rallied to tie the score at 21.
Then Canyons pulled away again, building a 17-point lead at the half. For the first half, COC shot 63% (19/30) from the field, building a 46-29 advantage.
But in the second half, Porterville rallied to close the gap to just 2 points late in the game. PG Kenneth Dykes made a pair of threes to make it 67-65 with 1:16 remaining. And after an empty trip by COC, the Pirates had the ball with a chance to tie or take the lead with under 30 seconds left.
When SF Marvin Carraway lost the ball trying a spin move at the top of the lane, however, COC's PG Shant Bicakci swiped the ball for a steal. And when Porterville chased him down and fouled him, PF Jonathan Joshua was called for the intentional foul. Bicakci made 1 of 2 free throws, making it 68-65 with 19 seconds left. And when play resumed, COC got the ball back on the intentional foul call. Porterville had little choice but to foul Murray, who then made 2 FTs with 19 seconds left, clinching the win for COC.
The Cougars were led by Murray, who scored 21 pts and grabbed 3 steals. PF Derrick Williams added 14 pts plus 3 steals. Ctr Scott Moore was solid in the middle with 8 pts, 8 rebs and 3 blocks. And Bicakci had an excellent game with 6 pts, 11 asts and the steal that helped save the game.
Dykes led Porterville with 17 pts, including 3 threes, and 5 asts. Carraway added 14 plus a game-high 9 rebs.
box score
Tuesday, November 29, 2005 - 5 pm
at the Cougar Cage, COC, Valencia
Porterville Pirates 65:
20-Marvin Carraway, SF - 7/14 fg, 0/2 ft, 9 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 14 pts
21-Kenneth Dykes, PG - 7/13 fg, 0/1 ft, 4 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl, 17 pts
23-Jonathan Joshua, PF - 4/13 fg, 0/1 ft, 6 reb, 3 ast, 1 blk, 4 stl, 8 pts
30-Jaison Moore, SG - 2/4 fg, 2/6 ft, 5 reb, 4 ast, 1 blk, 3 stl, 7 pts
33-Lee Clark, C - 2/4 fg, 6 reb, 4 pts
44-Joe Knighten, C - 2/6 fg, 5 reb, 4 pts
11-Sirmaster Martin, G - 2/10 fg, 3 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 4 pts
14-Simon Heller, F - 2/2 ft, 2 pts
31-Yannick Kasongo, G - 1/2 fg, 2 ast, 2 pts
10-Kirt Edmonds, G - 1/2 fg, 1 reb, 1 ast, 3 pts
team rebounds: 5
Totals: 28/68 fg (.412), 4/12 ft (.333), 44 reb, 19 ast, 2 blk, 12 stl, 65 pts
3-pt fg (5): Dykes 3, Moore, Edmonds
Intentional Foul: Joshua
Turnovers (21): Carraway 5, Dykes 3, Joshua 3, Moore 3, Clark 2, Martin 2, Kasongo 2, Heller
Canyons Cougars 70:
3-Andre Murray, SG - 8/13 fg, 4/4 ft, 3 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl, 21 pts
10-Shant Bicakci, PG - 2/2 fg, 2/5 ft, 5 reb, 11 ast, 2 blk, 2 stl, 6 pts
12-Dwayne Jones, SF - 3/13 fg, 1/2 ft, 6 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl, 7 pts
30-Derrick Williams, PF - 7/12 fg, 0/1 ft, 6 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl, 14 pts
54-Scott Moore, C - 3/6 fg, 2/5 ft, 8 reb, 1 ast, 3 blk, 1 stl, 8 pts
21-Youssef Hulse, F - 1/2 fg, 1/2 ft, 1 reb, 1 blk, 3 pts
42-Lewis Pettway, C - 2 reb, 0 pts
32-Curtis Dixon, G - 1/3 fg, 1 reb, 3 pts
34-Ryan Zike, F - 3/6 fg, 1/2 ft, 3 reb, 8 pts
team rebounds: 3
Totals: 28/57 fg (.491), 11/21 ft (.524), 38 reb, 19 ast, 6 blk, 10 stl, 70 pts
3-pt fg (3): Murray, Dixon, Zike
Turnovers (23): Bicakci 5, Williams 4, Murray 3, Dixon 3, Jones 2, Moore 2, Pettway 2, Hulse, Zike
Halftime Score: Canyons 46, Porterville 29
Updated Records: Canyons 7-3, Porterville 3-5
