SBCC pared a 14-point second-half deficit to four on Wednesday but could get no closer in a 69-64 WSC North men’s basketball loss at College of the Canyons.
Kenneth Edwards hit 4-of-10 from 3-point range and tied his season high with 15 points for the Vaqueros (1-17, 0-7). Prince Arceneaux added 13 points and Pablo Miranda had eight points, six assists, four rebounds and three steals.
Canyons (11-10, 5-3) had four players in double figures, led by Ilya Ilyayev with 24 points. The Cougars outshot the Vaqueros 59.1 to 36.4 percent, won the rebound battle, 30-17, and prevailed despite 28 turnovers.
The Vaqueros trailed 31-26 at the half and 46-32 with 14 minutes to play. They were down by 12 with five minutes to go, then put together a 12-4 burst, capped by a 3-pointer by Edwards, to pull within four (68-64) with 2:25 to go.
Santa Barbara didn’t score again, however, missing four free throws and a pair of 3-pointers.
“We had a lot of opportunities to finish some chippies in the first half and we didn’t do it,” said coach Morris Hodges. “The key things in the second half were offensive rebounds and those missed free throws down the stretch.”
SBCC hosts Moorpark on Saturday at 7 p.m.
