For the third time in a 6-1 winning stretch by the Pasadena City College men's basketball team, the Lancers held an opponent to less than 50 points. This time it was El Camino that had trouble with PCC's intense defensive approach as Pasadena posted a 72-47 victory Wednesday night at Hutto-Patterson Gymnasium.
PCC (6-4 overall) only led 33-30 by halftime but held the Warriors (1-8) to just 17 points over the final 20 minutes to roll to its third straight win. PCC's starting unit was balanced offensively with forward Gabriel Ajemian and guard Patric Panoosi sharing game-high scoring honors with 13 points each. Panoosi, who drained a trio of treys, added seven rebounds and three steals while Ajemian made a team-high four steals. Point guard London Benford, a big part of the team's defense, contributed 10 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals while energized guard Rasheet Wilson tallied 12 points and two takeaways. Center Deandro Worrell didn't score a point but blocked four shots as another weapon in the team's arsenal.
The Lancers bench saw six different players score baskets with Lafayette Sanders leading the reserves with six points (3-for-3 from the field), four boards and two steals. Dominick Erby had a big game with four points, eight assists and two steals while both Anthony Gamboa and Michael Harris also scored four points each. Armen Safeyan and Alexander Avanesyan got the fans and bench going with consecutive 3-pointers late in the game.
El Camino had no players score in double digits with reserve guard Corey Madison leading the Warriors on just eight points. The starting five for ECC combined to score only 25 points as the team shot only 31.4 percent from the field (16 of 51 attempts). PCC forced them into 29 turnovers.
Ajemian keyed a 14-4 run that opened the second half by scoring 10 points with strong plays and drives to the basket. When Panoosi swished a 3-point bomb the Lancers had built the lead to 59-37 with 8:33 left.
On Dec. 12-14, the Lancers take part in the Santa Barbara City College Holiday Classic. They open the tourney with a 4 p.m. game on Thursday, Dec. 12 against Bakesfield College.