After losing against Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) on Wednesday, the Lancers men’s basketball team managed to bounce back with a home victory against LA Trade Tech.
Freshman guard Jamon Moore drives to the basket and gets fouled in the first half of Pasadena’s 84-78 OT win over Los Angeles Trade Technical College on Friday February 5, 2016.
Mt. SAC was able to claim the victory early against the Lancers by closing off shooters and taking advantage of the Lancers’ low free throw percentage.
Although both teams displayed terrible field goal percentages, the Mounties had 26 more attempts than the Lancers—15 of which were 3-pointers, while the Lancers were 0 for 5 from beyond the arc.
“We knew we couldn’t beat Mt. SAC, we just didn’t play hard enough,” freshman guard Jamon Moore said. “So we just came out to play hard against the next team.”
The Lancers initiated the rematch against LA Trade Tech with positive momentum, as freshman guard Tey Williams knocked down an immediate 3-pointer to start the game.
Freshman guard Aaron Yu alone buried three 3-pointers in the first half.
“The coach told to me to shoot the ball,” Yu said. “When I get an open shot I take it, it is my job as a shooter … Once the first one went in I became more confident.”
Although some Lancers were able to heat-up early on in the game, it was Lancers’ defensive efforts that kept their consistent lead in the first half.
Pasadena’s aggressiveness on both ends of the floor resulted in more players getting to the line to shoot free throws early on in the game.
“This is our second time playing this team, we thought we had a shot beating them the first-time around and we kind of let them off the hook,” head coach Michael Swanegan said.
Although the Lancers led by eight at halftime, being unable to pick up consistency in the second half has always been PCC’s shortcoming.
The Beavers outscored the Lancers 40 to 32, forcing overtime.
Somehow the Lancers were able to revitalize their 3-point shooting in overtime, when 12 of 15 points were scored from behind the arc.
Freshman guard Corey Robinson was able to come in clutch in over-time, hitting back-to-back 3’s for the Lancers, one of which was a 4-point play.
Moore continued to flourish in the starting lineup. He finished the game with 16 points, 6 assists, 9 rebounds and 1 block, also shooting 80 percent from the line.
“We just knew if we played smart and kept the pace, we would put ourselves in the chance of winning the ball game,” said Swanegan.
Overall, the Lancers put up a good game against LA Trade Tech, shooting 43.3 percent from field and 42.1 percent beyond the arc, resulting in an 84-78 overtime victory.
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