Walnut, Calif. – The Mt. SAC Men's Basketball team turned a tight contest into a win, pulling away late to defeat LA Harbor 74–58 on Friday, December 12. With the victory, the Mounties extended their winning streak to three games and improved to 8–2 on the season, while the Seahawks dropped their third straight and fell to 6–5.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

For much of the night, this one could have gone either way. Both teams traded buckets and leads through the opening 30 minutes, keeping the crowd on the edge of their seats.

Jaidyn Simpson opened the scoring with a pair of free throws, but LA Harbor answered immediately with a Cesar Haros layup—setting the tone for a back-and-forth battle. Zion Booker knocked down a three to give Mt. SAC the edge, only to see Jaylen Lauriano respond from deep for the Seahawks.

Dayvon Gates paced the Mounties in the first half, pouring in 12 points, while Ryan Wheeler dominated the glass with seven rebounds and chipped in five points. LA Harbor stayed close behind balanced scoring from Haros, Max Choi, and Lauriano, who each tallied five points. Mt. SAC carried a slim 30–27 lead into halftime.

The Seahawks wasted no time reclaiming momentum in the second half, opening with a jumper from Choi and a layup by Kristian Jemerson to grab the lead. That advantage was short-lived, however, as Simpson and Gates sparked a run that pushed the Mounties ahead 42–31.

The Seahawks stormed back as Amire Jones attacked the rim, Jemerson connected from beyond the arc, and Nate Guevara added free throws to cut the gap to 45–43. But from there on out, the Mounties took control of the court and the game.

Gates was unstoppable in the second half, adding 12 more points and three assists, while Simpson contributed 11 points and four rebounds. The Mounties' bench also played a key role, with Omari Abdallah and Noah Layne combining for 13 points as Mt. SAC outscored LA Harbor down the stretch.

For the Seahawks, Jemerson led the way after halftime with eight points, while Jones added seven, but it was not enough to keep up with the Mounties in the end.

BY THE NUMBERS:

• Field Goal Percentage: Mt. SAC 43.1% | LA Harbor 36.2%
• Free Throw Percentage: Mt. SAC 58.8% | LA Harbor 78.6%
• Rebounds: Mt. SAC 45 | LA Harbor 34
• Points in the Paint: Mt. SAC 34 | LA Harbor 22
• Bench Points: Mt. SAC 15 | LA Harbor 24

KEY PLAYERS:

• Dayvon Gates (Mt. SAC): Game-high 24 points, 4 assists, 2 steals
• Jaidyn Simpson (Mt. SAC): 17 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block
• Ryan Wheeler (Mt. SAC): Game-high 14 rebounds, 8 points
• Max Choi (LA Harbor): Team-high 11 points, 4 rebounds

NEXT UP:

The Mounties head back on the road to face LA Southwest (8–5) on Wednesday, December 17, with tipoff set for 5:00 p.m.

STAY CONNECTED:

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

Follow Mt. SAC Athletics on twitter @MtSAC_athletics Instagram /mtsac_athletics/ or Facebook @Mountie.Athletics

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