Owls Bounce Back Big, Roll to 133–91 Win Against No. 16 MSJC
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mt. San Jacinto (6-1, 0-0) | 37 | 54 | 91 |
|
Citrus (5-1, 0-0) | 64 | 69 | 133 |
No. 4-ranked Citrus College Men's Basketball delivered their best performance of the season Tuesday night, overwhelming No. 16 Mt. San Jacinto 133–91 at home. Coming off their first loss of the year on Saturday at Fullerton, the Owls responded with a statement victory, scoring their most points since last year's triple-overtime shootout with Santiago Canyon (134). With the win, Citrus improves to 6–1, while Mt. San Jacinto drops to 6–2.
The opening stretch featured competitive back-and-forth play with two ties and three lead changes, but midway through the first half the Owls completely took control. Citrus' defensive pressure forced nine first-half turnovers, and their offense caught fire, shooting 25-of-37 from the floor to build a commanding 64–37 halftime lead. The Owls pushed the pace even harder in the second half, applying full-court pressure that created 13 more MSJC turnovers and fueled a wave of transition scoring. Citrus shot 22-of-40 in the second half, knocked down nine more threes, and stretched its lead to a season-high 45 points before closing out the win.
The Owls finished with one of the most dominant offensive stat lines in program history: 47-of-77 shooting, 14-of-29 from three, and 25-of-30 at the free throw line. Citrus won the rebounding battle 49–36, recorded 32 assists on 47 made baskets, scored 62 points in the paint, produced 34 points off turnovers, and added 47 points from a deep and productive bench.
Citrus' balanced scoring night featured standout performances across the roster. Leo Ricketts led all scorers with 26 points on 9-of-11 shooting, including 5-of-6 from deep, while adding six rebounds, three assists, and three steals. JJ Sanchez followed with 23 points, eight rebounds, and six assists, knocking down 9-of-10 from the line. Rockwell Reynolds added 17 points and eight boards on another efficient shooting night, and Amiri Meadows contributed 16 points with four rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Off the bench, Dev Hamilton scored 17 points in 17 minutes, while Alek Sanchez delivered one of the most complete performances of the night with 12 points, five rebounds, eight assists, and three steals. Nathan Kwon and Brady Orr each added eight points, both connecting twice from beyond the arc, and Grayson Boustead chipped in two points and three rebounds.
Citrus will now look ahead to hosting the Citrus College Men's Basketball Holiday Classic next weekend on Friday, December 5, and Saturday, December 6, with matchups against Southwestern on Friday at 2 p.m. and Cerritos on Saturday at 5 p.m. For more information on the Citrus College Men's Basketball Holiday Classic, check out the link below.