Walnut, Calif. – As the regular season begins to wind down, the Mt. SAC Men's Basketball Team stays hot with a 90-79 victory over Pasadena City, picking up another conference victory. The Mounties improve to 22-4 overall and 7-1 in the South Coast Conference North, while the Lancers fall to 11-15 overall and 2-6 in conference play.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Mounties wasted no time getting on the board, striking just 19 seconds in on a jumper from Zion Booker. But the Lancers answered immediately — free throws from Darrius Freeman and a three-pointer from Churchill Ikenador put them in the lead for the first time.

Free throws from Dayvon Gates and a three from Omari Abdallah evened things up, and Jeremy Williams helped push Mt. SAC back in front. Still, Pasadena refused to back down. Back-to-back triples from Freeman gave the Lancers a 24-22 edge midway through the half.

With under a minute remaining before the break and trailing by three, the Mounties locked in. A layup from Abdallah, clutch free throws by Ethan Nelson, and a strong finish from Osami Maciel capped a late surge, sending Mt. SAC into halftime up 42-39.

The beginning of the second half remained close with the Lancers trailing by only a few points. But with ten minutes remaining, a layup from Abdallah put the Mounties ahead by double digits as they started to run away with the game.

Mt. SAC poured in 48 second-half points, fueled by Gates (13), Abdallah (11), and key contributions from Dominic Copenhagen and Maciel.

The Mounties' efficiency told the story, outperforming the Lancers in several major statistical categories, shooting 56.4% from the field, with 30 rebounds and putting up 42 points in the paint.

Meanwhile, Pasadena shot 39.7%, grabbed 22 rebounds, and managed just 16 points in the paint — a testament to Mt. SAC's dominance.

KEY PLAYERS:

• Dayvon Gates: Team-high 23 points, 10 assists, 2 steals
• Omari Abdallah: 17 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
• Darrius Freeman (Pasadena): Game-high 24 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists

NEXT UP:

The Mounties return home to host Los Angeles Trade-Technical College Beavers (13-13, 5-3) on Wednesday, February 18 at 5:00 PM. The evening will mark Sophomore Night, celebrating the players who have helped build Mt. SAC's impressive season. With postseason play around the corner, the Mounties are peaking — and the timing couldn't be better.

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.