Walnut, Calif. – After a tough loss to Cerritos last week, the Mt. SAC Men's Basketball Team responded in a big way, rolling past Long Beach 83–53 on Wednesday, January 14. The win improves the Mounties' record to 15-3 on the season, while the Vikings drop to 5-12.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Mounties needed a moment to settle in as Long Beach struck first with back-to-back buckets from Nathaniel Parris. Mt. SAC quickly answered, though, with layups from Antonio Camarao and Omari Abdallah to keep things close.

About eight minutes in, Jeremy Williams knocked down a pair of free throws to tie the game, and Dayvon Gates followed with a layup that gave Mt. SAC the lead for good. From there, the Mounties found their groove and never looked back.

Balanced scoring powered Mt. SAC through the rest of the first half. Camarao led the way with eight points, while Gates added seven and Williams, Osami Maciel, and Dominic Copenhagen chipped in six apiece. Long Beach's Branden Ellis paced the Vikings with eight points, but Mt. SAC headed into halftime comfortably ahead, 43–27.

The second half was more of the same. Maciel caught fire, scoring 15 of his game-high 21 points after the break. He drained four three-pointers and stayed perfect at the free-throw line. Ethan Nelson also made his presence felt, tallying 10 second-half points and pulling down six rebounds on his way to a double-double with 14 points and 13 boards.

Ralph Johnson and Parris did what they could for Long Beach, combining for 16 second-half points, but the Mounties outperformed the Vikings in every major statistical category, cruising to a 30-point victory.

BY THE NUMBERS:

• Field Goal Percentage: Mt. SAC 48.4% | Long Beach 36.7%
• Free Throw Percentage: Mt. SAC 84.2% | Long Beach 41.7%
• Rebounds: Mt. SAC 38 | Long Beach 30
• Assists: Mt. SAC 19 | Long Beach 8
• Points in the Paint: Mt. SAC 42 | Long Beach 28

KEY PLAYERS:

• Osami Maciel: Game-high 21 points, six three-pointers, perfect 3-for-3 from the line
• Ethan Nelson: 14 points, 13 rebounds, one steal, one block
• Ralph Johnson (Long Beach): Team-high 13 points, three rebounds, one assist

NEXT UP:

The Mounties tip off conference play on Wednesday, January 21, at 5:00 PM against rival East Los Angeles College (9-7). While the Huskies have had a bit of an up-and-down start this season, they were last year's South Coast Conference North champions, with Mt. SAC finishing right behind them. Expect a competitive, high-energy matchup as both teams bring their best. Come out and cheer on the Mounties!

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.