SBCC Men’s Basketball Holds Off Oxnard 71-66 at Home

By AJ Nagbe

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — The Vaqueros Men's Basketball team held off Oxnard, 71-66, on Wednesday night at Robertson Gym, snapping a losing streak and improving to 3-5 in Western State Conference play.

Jack Berry led Santa Barbara with 24 points on 12-of-16 shooting and grabbed six rebounds. James Reach added 14 points and six assists, while Mason Thomas chipped in 11 points, including three three-pointers. Dante Calhoun provided a spark off the bench with nine points as the Vaqueros shot 47.5% from the field and held off Oxnard's late rally.

The game featured four lead changes in a competitive first half before Santa Barbara took control. The Vaqueros shot 47.5% from the field and won in the paint with 40 points compared to Oxnard's 36. SBCC controlled the boards, 34-29, and dished out 20 assists while forcing 18 turnovers, converting them into 20 points. Oxnard stayed close behind efficient free-throw shooting at 84.6%, but the Vaqueros' balanced attack and clutch defense down the stretch secured the five-point victory.

Head coach Devin Engebretsen emphasized the mental challenge his team faced following their overtime loss to Moorpark on Saturday. "We had a really tough game Saturday against Moorpark where we lost by three in overtime," Engebretsen said. "Just being around sports my whole life and coaching for a long time, I understand there can be a residual effect mentally and emotionally, especially on young people, to try to lift yourself up again in order to play a game in just a couple of days."

Engebretsen acknowledged his team's slow start before they rallied in the second half. "We beat [Oxnard] pretty handily last time out, and we came out and played flat for probably the first 15 minutes of the game, and we were down 16 points," he said. "It was like we were sleepwalking. Then our guys made more of an effort with the last five minutes to at least cut it to a six-point game at halftime. I thought for the rest of the way, they really galvanized with tough play. They played harder, they were more focused, they were more emotionally and spiritually into the game, which allowed us to just play better."

He highlighted several standout individual performances in the victory. "Jack Berry had an incredible game, 12 for 16 from the floor, made a bunch of layups," Engebretsen said. "Brycen Matthews really ran the show well. He had five assists and went six-for-six at the free-throw line, and he's been struggling there. James Reach, our sophomore leader and captain, was a great defender on their number four, who is probably the conference's leading scorer. He had 17 at halftime and only had eight in the second half, so James did a great job of stopping him."

Looking ahead, Engebretsen stressed the importance of collective effort. "Everything we do, win, lose, or draw, we've got to do everything together," he said. "We don't have that elite 25-point-a-game guy. We've got to be able to play together defensively and offensively. This got us back on the winning wagon, and hopefully Saturday when we go to Ventura, we can give them a game and see what happens."

Santa Barbara (13-11, 3-5) travels to Ventura on Saturday, Feb. 7, at 3 p.m. for their second conference matchup with the Pirates.