SANTA ANA, Calif. – On Wednesday night, the Santa Ana Men's Basketball team faced No. 10 Saddleback College (13-10, 5-2) in another Orange Empire Conference matchup. After 40 minutes of basketball, the Dons (8-13, 1-7) were defeated 86-68.
Tyson Powell was the biggest bright spot for the Dons in this one, as he scored a team high 16 points on 6-13 shooting off the bench. Powell also added four rebounds and a steal in his 17 minutes.
The next highest scorer for the Dons was Xavier Gunter, who posted 11 points, five rebound and three assists while Chris Bailly followed him with 10 points, two rebounds and a block.
As a team, Santa Ana shot just 38.7 percent from the field and 63.6 percent from the free throw line, resulting in a mediocre offensive night. However, they did shoot 40 percent (6-15) from three.
On the defensive end, the Dons were hit from both inside and out. The Gauchos not only controlled the paint with a 42-26 rebounding advantage, they also shot a solid 43.8 percent from behind the arc and 54.4 percent from the field.
The Dons return to action on Friday, Feb. 2nd when they travel to Riverside for another matchup with the Tigers at 7:00 p.m. Santa Ana defeated the Tigers in their first game, 88-84 for their first win in OEC play.