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Imperial Valley College's shooting guard Levar Gamble (right) positions to shoot the ball past Palomar College's defense at IVC on Wednesday. (JOSELITO VILLERO PHOTOS / January 9, 2013) |
IMPERIAL - Utilizing a balanced scoring attack, a tenacious defense and when needed, the hearts of lions, the Imperial Valley College men’s basketball team opened up Pacific Coast Athletic Conference play with a 99-96 overtime win over the visiting Palomar College Comets here Wednesday night.
“This was our best game all year emotionally where we just kept playing regardless of the previous play good or bad,” Arabs head coach Tyson Aye said. “It was a hard, physical college game and our players fought through it.”
The Arabs lead at halftime 45-40 only to see the Comets take an 87-85 lead with 20 seconds left in regulation.
Freshman power forward Michael Angulo, who at this time last year was playing for Southwest High, then made a layup on a pick-and-roll move to the basket to tie the game then came up with a huge steal on defense to send the game into overtime.
“Whenever I get the ball off of a really good screen, then it’s because I’m open and my teammates find me,” said Angulo who finished with 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting with six rebounds.
Angulo has grown two inches since his Southwest days and now stands at 6-foot-6 which didn’t make the job of guarding 7-foot-1 Comet center Joe Vaz any easier.
“I’ve grown but I still have to play taller people but I try to work harder and with more heart and whoever does that usually comes out on top like tonight,” Angulo said.
Six of the Arabs' 12 overtime points came on cutch 3-pointers by Eric Bland, one of only two IVC sophomores who came off the bench to drain 6-of-7 three-pointers and score 18 points.
“Coach is good with his starting five and I like coming off the bench OK,” Bland said. “I was on and my teammates were finding me and the game comes easier when they do.”
With IVC leading 97-96 and 17 seconds remaining in overtime, Palomar’s bench was hit with a technical foul but the Arabs were unable to convert either free throw.
On the ensuing inbound pass, however, IVC freshman Jumah Sutton was fouled and calmly sank both free throws to ice the game.
“I didn’t feel any pressure at all … I’ve been in that situation 10 times or more,” said Sutton who has been playing basketball since the fourth grade. “I want the ball in my hands when the game is on the line.”
Sutton led the Arabs with 23 points, one of six IVC players to hit double-figures in points including Bland, Geric Leath with 17, Angulo and Michael Hamilton with 14 each and Darius Nesmith with 11.
Leath scored his points primarily in the first half while Hamilton hit a number of critical second-half free throws.
“The team was looking for me in the first half, we are always looking as a team for the hot hand,” Leath said.
IVC (7-9, 1-0 PCC) will play at San Diego City College at 7 p.m. Friday.
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