SANTA ANA, Calif. – The Dons had their chance to earn a win over the No. 18 Orange Coast College in an Orange Empire Conference game on Wednesday night but fell just short down the stretch, dropping the contest by a score of 77-74.
Santa Ana (8-9, 1-3) was down by 17 with 5:57 remaining in the first half but once again came back to make it a tight game late in the second half. The Dons cut into the lead quickly and trailed the Pirates 42-38 at the break.
After a few lead changes in the second half, the Dons found themselves down three (77-74) with a chance to tie the game and send it to over time. A last second shot by Chris Bailey would not go, giving Orange Coast (13-7, 4-1) their fourth win in conference to stay tied for first place in the OEC.
Xavier Gunter led the Dons again with 15 points, nine rebounds and three assists while Keandre Broussard had a solid game with 14 points, six rebounds and three assists.
The Dons shot their second lowest three point percentage of the year, going 3-18 for 16.7 percent in the loss. They'll look to improve on the long ball in Friday's matchup with Cypress College at 5:00 p.m. at home.