By Brittain Kelly
Friday night, Copper Mountain College men’s basketball team continued on what seems to be a turbulent start to their Orange Empire Conference play. The Fighting Cacti traveled to Mission Viejo to take on conference veteran Saddleback College.
The first half went back and forth as both teams made aggressive runs. CMC jumped out to an early 20-14 lead, but Saddleback tightened up their defense and went into the half with a 3-point advantage, 31-28.
In the second half, Copper Mountain struggled to put together a sustained run. There were several lead changes within the last 10 minutes, but ultimately a rough shooting night from the free throw line ended up plaguing the Fighting Cacti. Saddleback went on to win the game, 69-58.
Anthony Rice led CMC with 21 points and eight assists, and Dominique Anderson had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Copper Mountain College falls to 10-8 on the year and 0-2 in the Orange Empire Conference.
Next Up for the Fighting Cacti is Orange Coast College Friday, January 18 inside the Bell Center. Tip-off is at 5 p.m. at Copper Mountain College in Joshua Tree.
