Hawks Sweep Season Series with Irvine Valley

The Santiago Canyon College men's basketball team looked to return to the win column Friday night while hosting the Irvine Valley College Lasers in conference play. Much like their previous meeting, the Lasers proved pesky and difficult to put away. This time, however, the Hawks leaned on a strong performance from freshman Jacob De Armas and timely contributions from their supporting cast to secure a 76–70 victory.

De Armas, typically a reliable double-digit scorer, had struggled over the previous three games, scoring fewer than 11 points in each contest. On Friday, he came off the bench for the first time this season and delivered one of his strongest performances yet. He poured in a team-high 23 points on an efficient 8-for-12 shooting night. De Armas also went 6-for-8 from the free-throw line while adding three assists, two rebounds, and two steals.

A pair of starters reached double figures, led by freshman duo Paris Lassiter and Jayden Oei. Each scored 10 points, combining for six rebounds and four assists.

Freshman Dominic Bolton provided a spark off the bench, scoring eight points while knocking down two of his three attempts from beyond the arc. Sophomore Chico Lopez followed with seven points, along with three assists and three rebounds.

The Hawks continued to struggle from three-point range, finishing at 26.5 percent from deep, hindered by a 3-for-15 first-half performance. Freshmen Portland Sydney and Oei were the only Hawks to connect from long range in the opening half. Despite the perimeter woes, Santiago Canyon shot 43.3 percent overall, keeping them in control down the stretch.

Santiago Canyon limited its turnovers to just seven while forcing Irvine Valley into 10 giveaways, a key factor in closing out the win.