Dominating win for the Corsairs

As the ball was stolen from him, a Pasadena City College defender attempted to intercept a Santa Monica College pass. However, it was too late as the Corsairs sailed to a two-on-one fast break leading to an alley-oop that had the crowd on their feet. This play summed up the way the SMC men’s basketball team played for most of the night, cruising to an 87-70 win over Pasadena City College on Friday.

The team is currently riding a two game winning streak, bringing their overall record to 3-2. In their other two wins, the Corsairs won by a single point each, making the game against the Lancers more definitive.

“We wanted to really win a game tonight, and that’s what they went out and did,” head coach Jerome Jenkins said. “They keep listening and I keep giving them a hard time. I keep pushing them, and they keep growing, so I am proud of their victory tonight.”

Freshman guard/forward David Nwaba played his first game since suffering a concussion earlier this year. His play was huge for the Corsairs, as he hit all eight of his shot attempts and finished the game with a team-high 19 points. He had some spectacular defensive plays as well.

“David’s performance was huge because with him on the floor, our guys were a lot more confident,” Jenkins said.

Freshman guard Keilan Horton applauded Nwaba’s performance as well.

“David played well; he played the way he’s supposed to,” said Horton. “He didn’t play timid. He came ready.”

Horton, who has been remarkable recently, has cooled off of late. However, he still scored 16 points in the victory. He started off slowly, missing his first five shots, but soon regained composure after getting a rebound, and making a 15-foot jump shot in the first half. He became more aggressive from that point on.

“Once I started attacking the bucket more, I got my rhythm and everything flowed better,” Horton said.

Horton started off the second half by scoring the first basket while getting fouled and converting on his free throw. He explained that those points helped the team with their confidence going forward as they knew they had to be the aggressor and keep driving to the basket.

SMC hopes to continue their winning streak at home Friday, Dec. 7 against Rio Hondo College at 7 p.m.