SANTA ANA, Calif. – On Tuesday night, the Santa Ana College Men's Basketball team returned from the holiday break to win their fourth game of the season 73-54 against Cuyamaca College.
Cuyamaca went into the game looking for their first win of the season, while Santa Ana looked to build momentum before heading to the West Los Angeles College Tournament this weekend.
The Dons came out sluggish on offense, shooting just 35.9 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from the free throw line in the first half. Despite the slow start, SAC led 31-25 at the half.
In the second half, Santa Ana flipped the switch and separated themselves from the Cuyamaca Coyotes. After jumping to 50 percent from the field and 76.9 percent from the free throw line in the second half, the Dons pulled away and took the win by 19 points.
The difference in the game was by far the rebounding discrepancy between the two teams. Santa Ana dominated the glass with 50 rebounds compared to just 30 for the Coyotes. Leading the charge for the Dons in that category once again was sophomore forward Xavier Gunter, who tallied 13 rebounds and 16 points. Right behind him was Chris Bailey with 10 boards and eight points. Five more Dons recorded four or more rebounds in the game to help Santa Ana control the inside battle.
Next up for the Dons is the West Los Angeles Tournament from November 30th through December 2nd.