Pirates fall in conference opener to Riverside
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Riverside (9-5, 1-0) | 32 | 47 | 79 |
|
Orange Coast (4-8, 0-1) | 24 | 33 | 57 |
COSTA MESA -- The Orange Coast College men's basketball team opened the Orange Empire Conference portion of the 2024-25 campaign with a 79-57 loss to visiting Riverside City College on Monday inside the Peterson Gym.
The Pirates (4-8, 0-1 in the OEC), in spite of a frosty afternoon of shooting (19-of-70, 27.1 percent), hung around and trailed only by seven (45-38) early in the second half. But, a 28-10 run by the Tigers (9-5, 1-0) blew the game open late as they were led by 6-foot-9 forward Andre Skelin, who finished with 25 points and 22 rebounds. Decon Toliver added 12 points and seven rebounds, while Corey Mitchell tossed in 11 points and dished out five assists.
Ronnie Davis led OCC with 15 points and nine rebounds, while Chris Obiajulu added 13 points and six rebounds and Yahya Hussein contributed 11 points and five boards.
The key to the second half success for the Tigers was the high shooting percentage. After breaking the OCC press, Riverside shot 18-of-28 from the floor in the second half en route to a 47-point final 20 minutes of play. Coast just couldn't find that hot shooter as the Pirates hit just 6-of-29 from 3-point range (20.7 percent).
The Pirates will be at Saddleback College on Wednesday (5 p.m.) before competing at the College of the Canyons Tournament Dec. 27-29. OCC's next home game will be on Wednesday, Jan. 8 against Fullerton College, beginning at 5 p.m.
