BULLDOGS DEFEAT #19 TEAM IN THE STATE, ADVANCE TO 14-2 ON THE SEASON

Five players scored in double-figures to help lead the Hancock College Men's Basketball team past Cabrillo College 81-77 Saturday evening.

Coming into the contest, #19 Cabrillo was 11-3 overall and on an 8-game winning streak, including winning two holiday tournaments and defeating Northern California rival Canada.

The #10 Bulldogs were on a 6-game winning streak of their own, winning three games in their own holiday tournament and three games in the L.A. Southwest Holiday Tournament.

The stage was set for a primetime pre-season showdown.

The Bulldogs took an early lead, up 16 points at the 9:50 mark with a score of 30-14.

Cabrillo fought back and quickly eliminated that lead, out-scoring the Bulldogs 24-12 to close half. The Bulldogs held onto a narrow edge of 42-38 at halftime.

The second half was more of the same. The Bulldogs full-court press and excellent ball movement allowed them to pull away, with a lead as high as 15 with just under 9 minutes remaining in the game.

The game seemed to be on the verge of another blowout for the Bulldogs but Cabrillo had different plans. The feisty Seahawks slowly chipped away with offensive put-backs and timely three-pointers.

A big corner three-pointer by Cabrillo would slash the Bulldog lead to just 4 points with 30 seconds left on the game clock.

Clutch free-throws by sophomore forward Spirit Ricks and sophomore guard Gabrys Sadaunykas would seal the deal.

The Bulldogs walked away with the victory, beating Cabrillo 77-81.

Freshman guard Mike Mensah led the Bulldogs with 18 points, including shooting a perfect 4-4 from the three-point line. Gabrys Sadaunykas had an excellent stat line with 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists. Freshman guard Xavier Cooper, sophomore guard Glenn Jordan, and sophomore forward Trenton Mitchell all chipped in with 10 points each.

The Bulldogs will host Hartnell College next Saturday Jan. 12^th at Joe White Memorial Gymnasium. Tip-off is at 5pm.