Facing the wheeling and dealing slamma jamma known as state #8 East Los Angeles College, the unranked Pasadena City College men's basketball team played well in the first half accentuated by Dylan Swillis' monster slam before halftime.
But ELAC's Daniel Michellni-Jackson, who missed four of his first five shots, started a juggernaut shooting clinic when he nailed a 3-pointer at the buzzer to cut PCC's lead to 36-34.
The Huskies' 6-foot-5 sophomore guard was just getting started. Michellini-Jackson swished shots all over the floor, incredibly making 11 consecutive attempts and his last 12 overall to score 34 points and send the Lancers to an 85-69, South Coast Conference North Division at Hutto-Patterson Gymnasium Friday night.
The Lancers (11-9 overall and 1-2 in conference play) lost their second straight against a State Top 10 team after losing a close one at #3 Mt. San Antonio, 72-68, on Jan. 24.
Against ELAC (18-2), a team that has won 16 straight and tied with Mt. SAC for the SCC North lead both at 3-0, PCC traded seven lead changes early before taking a 19-18 lead on a Quinlan Daly offensive rebound and tip-in. The Lancers capped a 13-0 run on a driving layup by Kaiden Fine for their biggest advantage, 27-18.
At the start of the second half, Michelini-Jackson hit back-to-back jumpers, then a lay-in that would give ELAC the lead for the duration at 40-36.
PCC had problems getting shots off in the paint with six shots blocked in the final 20 minutes alone and couldn't generate offense while the Huskies increased the lead to 53-43. However, the Lancers made a push, cutting it to 62-60 on a Swillis put back.
The Huskies responded with a 3-pointer by Landon Winston, a jumper by Michelini-Jackson and back-to-back steals and dunks by Zyier Beverly and Michelini-Jackson. PCC got no closer.
Daly led Pasadena with 17 points, including three treys, Swillis had a double-double on 10 points and 13 rebounds, Jalen Vazquez added 11 points but the state assists leader was limited to just four helpers. Fine tallied nine points and three assists, Darrius Freeman contributed eight points, LaQwon Cole six points, Cooper Creamer five points and six boards, and Donovan Ford tallied three points and three steals.
Michelini-Jackson finished 13-for-17 from the field as the Huskies shot 58 percent overall (33-for-57). PCC made just 36.4 percent (24-of-66) and didn't help itself at the free throw line, missing nine attempts (13-of-22, 59.1 percent).
Against Mt. SAC, PCC jumped ahead 7-0, and only trailed 26-23 at halftime. A Fine 3-pointer cut it to 30-29, but Mt. SAC built a 10-point lead at 68-58 with four minutes left. PCC ran out of time but earned respect with a 4-point defeat v. a Mounties team that is 20-1 overall. Mt. SAC has won all of its close games, winning nine contests by four or less points.
Vazquez had a big performance, scoring 20 points, dishing out 12 assists, with six rebounds and two blocks. Freeman added 12 points, seven boards and four assists while Fine drilled four 3s for 12 points. Swillis was limited to nine points and eight rebounds.
"We had two good first halves v. East LA and Mt. SAC, but we didn't keep pace in the final 20 minutes of both games," said PCC head coach Ryan Frazer. "We have the ability to beat both of these really strong programs but it's going to take an entire 40 minutes of strong defense coupled with running our type of offense. We're not consistent and that's something we have to work on if we want to be playoff ready."
PCC will play three home games next week, beginning with a makeup of a postponement due to the Eaton fire against Long Beach City College on Monday, Feb. 3 in a 5 p.m. tip-off.