Lobos down Vaqueros 78-66 in Monterey Bay Classic opener

Marcus Wallace and DeShawnte Collins scored 20 points apiece on Thursday night as Monterey Peninsula defeated SBCC 78-66 in the 28th annual Monterey Bay Classic men's basketball tournament.

Collins, a 6-6 sophomore, had 20 points and eight rebounds. He made 8-of-12 free throws. Wallace made 4-8 from 3-point range and 4-4 from the free-throw line. The Lobos (5-3) were 76 percent from the charity stripe (22-29) while the Vaqueros (0-7) struggled at 35.3 percent (6-17).

Freshman guard Aaron Mejia hit a trio of triples and led the Vaqueros with 14 points. Francisco Gutierrez added 13 points and sophomore forward Jerard O'Byrne scored a career-high 12 in 15 minutes on 4-8 shooting from 3-point land.

Donald Grant, a 6-6 freshman from Rancho Cucamonga, had a season-high 12 points and six rebounds in his third game of the year.

Monterey led 40-27 at halftime, then opened the second half on a 23-13 run for its biggest lead of the game, 63-40.

Ryan Smith and Dejon Jackson led the Vaquero rebounders with seven each. Drayten Howell had a season-high nine assists, missing his career high by one.

The Vaqueros will take on Cypress (1-5) on Friday in a consolation semifinal at 3 p.m. Gavilan (8-0) edged Cypress 68-64 on Thursday night.