Gauchos overcome rough start to beat Miramar

The Saddleback men's basketball team overcame a rough start in beating Miramar College, 58-48, on Thursday night at the Saddleback Gymnasium.  The Gauchos clamped down on defense in the second half, holding the Jets to just 16 second-half points. 

Saddleback looked like a team in shock through the first 20 minutes, as Miramar looked like the second straight team that was going to come in and shoot the lights out from three-point range after Fresno City shot 69% from beyond the arc just two nights earlier.  The Jets buried five shots from downtown in taking a 32-26 lead into the intermission. 

The Gauchos rebounded in the second half, holding Miramar to just 26% shooting from the field, including 0-of-3 from three-point range.  In addition, Saddleback took control of the game on the glass, outrebounding the Jets 24-13 in allowing very few second chance opportunities. 

Darnell Taylor (pictured) led the Gauchos on offense, scoring a game-high 16 points on 7-of-17 shooting from the field.  A.J. Brevard was also instrumental in the win, scoring 11 points and making six straight free throws down the stretch as Saddleback improved to 11-4 on the season.   Saddleback also received a nice performance on defense from Rashad Davis, who collected six rebounds while blocking four Miramar shots.

After taking the early lead, Miramar took the lead at the 5:55 mark of the first half and kept the lead until the 12:47 mark of the second half when Taylor made a layup for a 38-37 advantage.  The Jets would never get closer the rest of the way, as Saddleback would make 6-of-8 free throws down the stretch. 

Saddleback will play again at Los Angeles Pierce College (10-5) on Saturday afternoon.  Tip time is set for 3:00 PM.