Panthers Beat Hawks 75-65

SACRAMENTO (1-5) – The Hawks traveled north to take on their rival Sacramento City College in Sacramento. The Panthers would win 75-65 over the Hawks.

Both teams lost their last game. The Hawks lost 79-69 to San Joaquin Delta College on Thursday in Sacramento while the Panthers lost 86-83 to American River College.

In the first half, both teams played strong 2-3 zone defense. The Panthers scored from the perimeter while the Hawks relied more on shots in the paint. The Panthers held a 19-15 lead with 9:53 left in the half. As the game continued, the Panthers slowly stretched the lead to nine. After a timeout by Coach Jonathan James, the Hawks cut the deficit back to three, at 35-32, with 3:15 left in the half. The Panthers went to the locker room with a 44-37 lead at halftime. Marcus Robinson had an impact on the game by running the offense and getting teammates involved on offense with his drives and passing. Sean Granucci made the most of his first half minutes with six points in the half and finished the game with a season-high eight points.

In the second half, the Hawks started off slowly. The Panthers extended their halftime lead to thirteen, at 57-44, with 14:13 left. The Hawks switched their defense around and that change ignited a 13-0 run by the Hawks and held the Panthers scoreless for over seven minutes of play. Tied at 57-57, the game stayed tight until about three minutes left. The Hawks had a couple missed shots and a turnover on a fastbreak opportunity, while the Panthers had back-to-back contested three pointers late in the game.

The loss marked the Hawks' second in a row.

Robinson had twenty points, six rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals, Paul Ohiri had ten points, six rebounds and three blocks and Drew Buggs had a double-double with ten points, ten rebounds, two assists and one block.

The next game will be Tuesday as they take on Santa Rosa Junior College in Sacramento at 5:30 pm.