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Men's Basketball

Mt. SAC Men’s Basketball defeats RCC, 72-64, in nonconference game

Mt. SAC Men’s Basketball defeats RCC, 72-64, in nonconference game

Game Leaders

Riverside
Pts: Darius McClain - 21
Reb: Team - 9
Ast: Joseph Barnes - 5
Mt. SAC
Pts: Nick Hopkins - 16
Reb: Nick Hopkins - 11
Ast: 2 Players (#02, #03) - 2

Team Stats

Riverside
Mt. SAC

Field Goals

(21-61)
(19-56)

Field Goal %

34.4%
33.9%

Rebounds

42
43

Assists

13
6

Turnovers

20
13

Pts off Turnovers

11
29

2nd Chance Pts

12
17

Pts in the Paint

20
30

Fastbreak Pts

11
8

Bench Pts

20
24
full stats
Posted: Dec 12, 2023

(Walnut, CA) Mt. SAC Men's Basketball defeated RCC 72-64 in a non-conference game held in the Mountie gymnasium. The game witnessed numerous lead changes in the first half, but the Mt. SAC Men's Basketball team managed to pull away late in the second half for a 72-64 victory over visiting Riverside City College on Tuesday, December 12th.

With this win, the Mounties improved their overall record to 9-1. Three Mounties players finished in double figures for scoring, with sophomore guard Nick Hopkins leading the way with 16 points (10-14 FTM-A, 1 Stl.).

Sophomore guard Mikah Gardner (6-13 FGM-A, 6 RB, 1 Stl., 2 Blks.) and freshman guard Jon McCullough (3-6 FGM-A, 8-11 FTM-A, 4 RB, 1 A, 3 Stls.) each contributed 14 points to the Mounties' score. Mt. SAC sophomore guard CJ Fisher (4-4 FTM-A, 4 RB) added eight points.

Despite an off night from the field (3-12 FGM-A), Hopkins still led the Mounties on the boards with 11 rebounds (3 O, 8 D).

"This game was big because we knew RCC (3-7) was going to come in and play hard and give us all they had (Tuesday)," said Hopkins, who still led with his usual hard play under the basket. "It was tough from beginning to the end, but we came out with the win.

"I'm proud of my team, even though I wasn't efficient, but the team went out and got the dub. My teammates know when it comes to games when I'm not scoring a lot, they know how to step up and work without me. That's a good thing and we really have a solid team and will make it far if we keep doing that." 

Hopkins led the Mounties with 11 points in the first half, resulting in a 36-36 tie at the break. The second half continued to see the game swing back and forth, with RCC taking its last lead, 59-57, with 5:29 remaining in the game.

The Mounties closed the game with a 15-5 run, spearheaded by McCullough and Gardner with five and four points, respectively. In the final minute and a half, with the Mounties holding a 67-63 lead, McCullough and Fisher sank two free throws each.

In their last action of the 2023 calendar year, the Mounties will participate in the College of the Canyons Holiday Classic, beginning on Thursday, December 28th, with an opening game against Orange Coast College.

Follow Mt. SAC Men's Basketball on Twitter @MtSAC_MBKB or Instagram /mt.sacbasketball/

Follow Mt. SAC Athletics on Twitter @MtSAC_athletics or Facebook @Mountie.Athletics

For additional information, please contact the Mt. SAC Sports Information Office at 909.274.4630.