SMCC Men's Basketball Clamps Down on Coyotes in 79-58 Victory

PHOENIX ---

The South Mountain Community College men's basketball team (5-1) held Southern Nevada to 28.3 percent (15 of 53) shooting, including a 20.7 percent (6 of 29) clip in the second half, in a 79-58 non-conference victory at the SMCC Gym on Nov. 15. Freshman I'yar Shadowvine led the charge offensively for the Cougars, scoring a season-high 22 points and dishing out a season-high six assists while sophomore Parker Escalante added 15 points in the win. 

SMCC jumped out to a 15-4 lead after a 3-pointer from sophomore Blake Carabio with 15:57 left in the first half. A lay-up from sophomore Jadden Jones put the Cougars up 24-11 with just under 13 minutes, but the Coyotes cut the lead to seven with six minutes to go in the frame. 

Sophomore Brandon Mangahas scored five-straight points from there to put SMCC ahead 33-21, and the Cougars closed out the half with a 45-29 advantage. 

In the second half, CSN closed to within 13 with less than 14 to play, but the Cougars responded with their own run punctuated by a three-point play from freshman Semajay James with eight minutes left to put SMCC ahead 68-46. 

"That was an absolute dogfight. Southern Nevada can really score the basketball, and I thought our guys did a solid job rising to the challenge defensively," said SMCC head coach Cory Hoff. "It was good to survive a poor shooting night and still find a way to win through a lot of good individual performances. Our assistants had an excellent game plan, and we appreciate the support that we had in the gym from our fans tonight."

The Cougars shot 47.5 percent (29 of 61) overall and 34.6 percent (9 of 26) from 3-point range. SMCC finished with 40 rebounds, 16 assists, 10 steals, and one block. The Cougars had 30 points off 19 Coyote turnovers, held a 36-16 advantage in points in the paint, and got 24 points from their bench. 

Shadowvine set a new personal scoring best for the second-straight game and finished 7 of 11 from the field and 4 of 8 from 3-point range in 31 minutes. He added six assists, three rebounds and two steals in the win, and is averaging 15.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in six games this year. 

Escalante finished with 15 points on 5 of 7 shooting in 15 minutes. He added two rebounds, a block, and a 3-pointer. He is averaging 14.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in five contests. 

James led SMCC with 13 rebounds and added five points, two steals, and an assist in 22 minutes. He is averaging 8.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in six games. 

Freshman Travis Vasquez was third on the team with nine points in 30 minutes off the bench. He added four rebounds, three assists, and three steals, and is averaging 12.7 points, 5.8 assists, and 5.7 rebounds in six games. 

Freshman Gak Kueth had eight points and four rebounds, and Manghas added four rebounds, an assist, and a steal to his five points. Jones registered seven rebounds, two points, and an assist, and Carabio finished with nine points, two assists, two steals, and a rebound.