Cougars Can't Get Going in 77-68 Loss to West L.A.
Canyons (10-13, 1-2) battled back in the second half but could not overcome a sluggish start.
Story and photo by Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director
Despite battling back in the second half, College of the Canyons could not overcome its sluggish start in falling 77-68 to West L.A. College in the Cougar Cage on Saturday.
Canyons (10-13, 1-2) trailed by 24 points heading into the halftime locker room, but made a game of it by outscoring the Wildcats (18-7, 4-1) 49-34 over the final 20 minutes of play.
COC sophomore Jude Agbasi led the Cougars 16 points and added four steals on the defensive end. Forward Anthony Simone worked the paint to the tune of 14 points and seven rebounds, while Zach Phipps ended the game with 11 points, including a thundering break way slam dunk that briefly shifted the momentum in COC's favor. Denzel Nwanguma recorded seven points, six assists and seven rebounds in the contest.
For the game, Canyons shot just better than 32 percent from the field and committed 18 turnovers. However, that mark improved to better than 48 percent in the second half.
The Cougars will next travel to L.A. Pierce College as Western State Conference (WSC) play continues Wednesday, Feb. 6. That game is scheduled to tip off at 5 p.m.
COC will then play the first of two final regular season home games at 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 9. That contest will be live-streamed to fans through a partnership with Waldcast.com.
Stay up to date on all this season's action by following the College of the Canyons Athletic department on social media at @COCathletics on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.