Vaqueros Downed by Desert on Day One of SBCC Classic

SANTA BARBARA – A sluggish start and a 14-2 deficit out of the gates were too much to overcome for the SBCC men's basketball team Thursday night, as the Vaqueros fell to College of the Desert 81-75 on the first day of the 2021 SBCC Holiday Classic.

Point guard Elijah Simpson led SBCC (4-8) in scoring for the third straight game, going for 13 of his 16 points in the second half. 

Unfortunately for the Vaqueros, that wasn't enough to erase a 13-point halftime deficit. Desert (1-7) connected on 8-of-18 (44.4%) three-point attempts in the first half to take a 45-32 lead into the break.

Santa Barbara came out of halftime with a strong run, with Simpson contributing to six points on a 10-0 run to cut the lead to 50-46. The Palos Verdes, CA native has stepped up his production over his last three games, averaging 17 points and four steals on 57.6 percent shooting.

The lead dropped to as low as three points on three different occasions after that. However a 7-0 run from the Roadrunners pushed it back up to double-digits, 70-60, with 7:22 to go, and the Vaqueros were unable to get back into striking distance.

Forwards Billy Whitting and Adam Weingard scored 12 and 10 points, respectively. Guards Isaiah Hicks (8) and Wilfrid Nado (7) rounded out SBCC's leading scorers.

The Vaqueros will be back in action tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. to face Pasadena.