Men's Basketball Falls Short in Season Opener Against Porterville

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - The Allan Hancock College men's basketball team fell just short in the 2022-23 season opener at home against Porterville College on Wednesday evening in a 73-68 decision. The Bulldogs entered the contest ranked 10th in the South Division of the CCCMBCA Preseason Poll while Porterville was tabbed at No. 13 for the North Division. | BOX SCORE

The Pirates got hot early and built towards a 12-point advantage at the midway point of the opening half before a pair of back-to-back shots from distance by Caleb Whalen and Darryl Brooks II sparked a run for the home squad. Coach Aye's squad continued to chip away at the deficit and cut the difference to a single possession with a three-pointer from Tytan Newton, but a late 14-5 run in favor of Porterville left Hancock trailing by eight at the intermission. 

Taevon Pierre-Louis sparked an 8-2 run that would put the Bulldogs ahead for the first time since the tipoff with 5:20 remaining in the second half, but the visiting crew surged back ahead after a five-point spurt led to a lead that the Pirates would ride out for the final four minutes of action.

Both teams hovered around 36 percent from distance on the evening, but Porterville won the battle of the boards at a 46-30 margin. The Bulldogs struggled from the charity stripe, finishing the night 11-for-26, and shot 35.4 percent from the floor. The home squad forced 26 Pirate turnovers, led by four steals from Pierre-Louis, and converted for 17 points on the opposite end.

Quincy Bently led the team in scoring with 15 of the team's 38 bench points after going 5-for-9 from beyond the arc. Pierre-Louis followed with 14 points while also tacking on a team-high total of eight rebounds. Brooks rounded out the list of double-digit scorers with 10 points while Cleevas Craig tacked on three blocks.

The Bulldogs are set to return to action on Friday, November 4th, with a home showing against Hartnell College. Tickets can be purchased online at ahcbulldogs.com/ticketing. As a reminder, cash will not be accepted at the gate and the full description of ticketing procedures can be found here.