Slow start hurts Vaqueros in 60-49 setback

Ventura built a 10-2 lead in the first 6½ minutes on Wednesday night and went on to beat SBCC 60-49 in a WSC North game at the Sports Pavilion.

Prince Arceneaux had a strong all-around game with 20 points (on 9-15 shooting), six rebounds, four blocks and three steals. The Vaqueros' 6-5 freshman is averaging nearly 20 points in his last four games.

Kenneth Edwards hit 3-6 from 3-point range in the second half and scored 10 for the Vaqueros (1-13, 0-4). Alonzo McCain added eight points and three assists.

Jon McMurry, a 6-4 sophomore left-hander, led the Cougars (10-10, 3-1) with 17 points and eight rebounds. Ventura dominated the glass with a 45-24 rebound advantage.

Another big difference came at the free-throw line where Ventura made 15-of-17 and the Vaqueros were 4-8.

After falling behind by eight in the opening minutes, the Vaqueros never got closer than six the rest of the way. They got within six on seven occasions with the last one coming on a bank shot by Tanner Stuhr that made it 31-25 with 17:51 remaining.

"We had some open looks and created some turnovers with our press," said coach Morris Hodges. "We just couldn't convert anything in the last 2-3 minutes. Then we had to foul and they made their free throws."

The Vaqueros shaved the deficit to seven with 2:23 remaining but SBCC couldn't knock down 3-pointers when they needed them. SBCC was 5-16 from beyond the arc.

Ventura led 29-21 at halftime, thanks to a tip-in at the buzzer by Eric Davis. The Pirates outrebounded the Vaqueros 26-10 in the first 20 minutes and grabbed 13 offensive boards.

The Vaqueros will take on county rival Hancock on Saturday at 7 p.m.