Vaqueros drop opener at Canyons, 96-70

SBCC's starters all reached double-figure scoring in Saturday's season opener but Canyons' offense was too much in a 96-70 setback in Santa Clarita.

Staffon Chiles paced the Cougars (2-2) with 22 points and seven rebounds. Anthony Simone added 20 points and 11 boards for Canyons, which ended the first half on a 29-13 run that produced a 50-32 lead.

Kile Kleiner, a 6-5 freshman guard from Hayward, Calif., hit 4-of-8 from 3-point land and led the Vaqueros with 16 points. Piers Donald had 13 points and six rebounds while Zeke McMurtry added 12 points, nine rebounds and three assists.

The Cougars outshot the visitors 42.3% to 35.9% and nailed 21-24 free throws compared to 19-30 for Santa Barbara. Canyons won the rebound battle, 45-32.

SBCC opens play in the round-robin Hancock Tournament on Friday, taking on Victor Valley at 3 p.m.