Men's Basketball Set to Host First Place Showdown With Rival Cuesta

The men's basketball team starts the week in a three-way tie for first place with Cuesta and L.A. Pierce. All three teams are 6-1 in Western State Conference play with five games remaining.

Hancock hosts the rival Cougars (6-1, 16-7) from Cuesta on Wednesday at 5 p.m. Prior to the game, Hancock's athletics department and women's basketball assistant coach Larry Carney will donate $5,000 to the Marian Medical Regional Center Foundation's Mission Hope Cancer Center.

The Cougars enter having won five in a row. Hancock is the last time to defeat the Cougars, an 83-69 win in San Luis Obispo on January 10. Matt Willkomm led the Bulldogs with 25 points, while Shamel Williams added 18, Kadeem Minor poured in 16 and Lawrence Johnson added 14. Hancock shot 55 percent from the field in the win and hit 10 of 22 from three-point range. Benat Hevia led the Cougars with 16 points.

Rafael Casanova is Cuesta's leading scorer at 17.9 points per game, including 43.8 percent from 3-point territory. Tayler Thompson averages 10.7 points and 7.9 rebounds.

The Bulldogs are coming off two thrilling road wins. Last Wednesday, Willkomm hit seven three-pointers to finish with 26 points, both career highs, in a 73-60 win at Oxnard. He made nine of his 11 shots, including seven of his eight from long distance. Kadeem Minor added 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Shamel Williams added 10 points and 10 boards. They were the first double-doubles of the season for each player.

Last Saturday, Willkomm buried a three-pointer at the buzzer to send the game at Moorpark into overtime tied 86-86. The Bulldogs went on to win 102-97 despite playing with just five players nearly the entire overtime after Minor and Williams picked up their fifth fouls. Willkomm led the team with 24 points, while Minor and Andre Miller poured in 22 points apiece. Johnson added 17.

Following the game against Cuesta, Hancock travels to Ventura on Saturday. The Bulldogs defeated the Pirates 71-56 on Jan. 14, behind 16 points apiece from Arinze Anakwenze and Minor.