SBCC shot well in its WSC North men’s basketball opener on Wednesday but couldn’t overcome 20 turnovers in an 84-78 loss at Moorpark.
Richard Somdah, a 6-3 left-hander, led the Vaqueros (4-12, 0-1) with 24 points and six rebounds. Tony Hawley had 15 points and six boards while Chris Vines had 14 points and Steven Saenz scored 13.
Santa Barbara hit 49 percent from the field, 8-of-21 from downtown and 12-14 from the free-throw line. The Vaqueros trailed 43-32 at intermission.
“We had some point-blank chances that we didn’t convert,” said coach Morris Hodges.
SBCC had 20 turnovers, leading to 29 points for the Raiders (6-9, 1-0).
The Vaqueros went on a 14-5 run to open the second half, cutting the deficit to two at 48-46. They got within one a couple of times but Moorpark pulled away by hitting 9-10 free throws in the last two minutes.
“Our effort was good and we played hard,” said Hodges. “We just need to take better care of the ball and get those extra possessions.”
After a bye on Saturday, the Vaqueros will play two straight home games against L.A. Pierce (Wed.) and Ventura (Jan. 15).
