Oxnard Escapes SBCC Buzzer-Beater

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The buzzer sounded, Ramon Cota's floater hit the rim, and — for the briefest moment — it looked like it was going to fall. Instead, it bounced out, giving the Oxnard College Condors a 54-53 win over the Vaqueros in the seventh game of the 2024 SBCC Basketball Classic.

The game stayed close throughout, with neither team leading by more than eight points.

"It was an incredible college basketball game tonight," said head coach Devin Engebretson. "The intensity was super high on both ends of the floor for both teams. It felt like a rivalry conference game/playoff game with the intensity." 

Oxnard pressured the Vaqueros the length of the floor early in the first half and never let up.

Santa Barbara responded by outrebounding Oxnard 16-12 and tallying seven steals in the first half.

The Vaqueros held a 31-29 lead at halftime, but the game tightened even more down the stretch. For all but 55 seconds of the second half, neither team led by more than two possessions.

"It's been a little bit of a theme for us this year, we go through stretches where we have a tough time scoring," said Engebretsen. "That's what happened tonight. We got up by six and then they went on a 7-0 run."

In the final minute, Oxnard led 54-50 until James Reach sank a corner 3-pointer with 18 seconds left.

The Vaqueros used their fouls strategically, and the Condors' shooter missed his one-and-one free throw. Kyle Haughy grabbed the rebound and called Santa Barbara's final timeout.

Facing a full-court press with eight seconds remaining, the Vaqueros moved the ball down the court and into the lane, where Cota got his shot off at the buzzer.

"We had a good look there at the end. Sometimes they drop and sometimes they don't," said Engebretson.

William Pace led Santa Barbara with 17 points, 14 rebounds (seven offensive) and three steals. Luke Ortiz scored a game-high 20 points for the Condors.

Jonathan Becerra's stat line exemplified the game's toughness. The 5-foot-8 guard hit a 3-pointer — his only attempted shot — recorded two steals and grabbed two rebounds in 10 minutes of play.

The Vaqueros face off against LA Valley College at 3 p.m. on Sat. Dec. 14 in the third-place game of the 2024 SBCC Basketball Classic. 

Results from the second day of the Classic: