MEN'S BASKETBALL: Tigers Kill Owls' Season

Citrus College saw its season come to an end Saturday night, dropping an 86-71 loss to Riverside City College in the second round of the CCCAA Southern Regional.

The Fighting Owls end the year with a 20-10 record, while the Tigers advance in the tournament with a 20-9 record. 

Three Owls finished the night in double figures, led by Toby Okwuokei with 23 points. Leonard Turner followed with 16 points (5-for-11) and Alex Cartwright added 11 points on 4-for-8 shooting.

Citrus grabbed the first significant lead of the night, going up 14-7 off a Cartwright three-pointer. RCC called a timeout, but Tyree Winborn pulled up for a jump shot to spark a 7-2 lead and push the Owls' lead to double digits, 21-9.

The Owls tried to keep their distance, jumping in front by 12 point, 37-25, off a Okwuokei jumper, but the Tigers turned things around and ended the half on an 8-0 run to hold a 46-42 lead at halftime.

RCC carried that momentum into the second half, taking its own double-digit lead, 52-42, to force a Citrus timeout.

The Owls scored out of the break and kept pressing to keep things close. With less than 13 minutes on the clock, James Williams banked in a shot to put Citrus within two, 57-55, before a Kendal Frey trey gave the Owls back the lead.

Both teams exchanged leads for the next minute, before RCC took off on a 14-0 run to jump out to a 76-64 upper hand heading down the stretch.

It proved too much for the Owls to overcome, though, as the Tigers secured the 86-71 victory.