Men’s Basketball upsets No. 7 Southwestern to Move onto Sweet Sixteen

Men’s Basketball upsets No. 7 Southwestern to Move onto Sweet Sixteen
February 28, 2020

The Allan Hancock College men's basketball team upset No. 7 Saddleback 67-61 on Friday in the second round of the California Community College Athletics Association's (CCCAA) Regionals. Seeded No. 10 in the south, the Bulldogs pulled off the upset and improved to 23-6 overall. Southwestern came into the game hot off a 16-win streak to go undefeated in conference play. The win marks the second time in three seasons that the Bulldogs have moved onto the sweet sixteen under Head Coach Tyson Aye. With the Bulldogs moving on, they will be on the road and face No. 2 East Los Angeles College.

Mike Mensah led the team with 16 points and three rebounds coming off the bench. Mensah was on fire from beyond the three-point arc going 5-for-7 and led all players in three-point shooting percentage. Last season for the Bulldogs, Mensah led the state in three-point shooting percentage and showed off that skill in the win. The rest of the Bulldogs only shot 1-for-12 from three-point range.

Sophomore Mayowa Akinsanya added 13 points and continued to be a reliable scorer going 6-for-9 in the paint.

Xavier Cooper earned six points and had a great night with boards picking up a team-high 11 rebounds. He also moved the ball around well with team-high four assists.

Kyle Harding picked up 12 in the win along with a team-high six steals.

Both teams' stats looked similar throughout the night shooting 39% from the floor and 30% from three-point range. The key difference in the game was the shooting percentage at the free throw line. Hancock shot 60% going 13-for-22. Southwestern on the other hand only shot 35 percent from the line and went 5-for-12.

The Bulldogs are on the road this Saturday, March 7 in Monterey Park to take on No. 2 East Los Angeles at 7:00 p.m. The winner of the game goes on to play in the California Community College Athletics Assiciation's California Elite Eight Finals. If you cannot make the game, be sure to catch the FREE live stream HERE: http://athletics.hancockcollege.edu/video/streaming. Be sure to follow Hancock Athletics on the website or on social media at "ahcbulldogs" on Instagram, Twitter, and facebook.