On barbeque night at Ventura College, the men's basketball team posted a strong 85-75 victory over visiting Allan Hancock College Saturday at the Athletic Event Center. Cordel Hankerson found a new role off the bench and responded with 23 points and Isiah Reyes totaled 20 points in the victory. Vida Faniel had a double-double of 18 points and 14 rebounds and Eddie Cowan scored 11 points with four rebounds and four assists.
It was a nip-and-tuck first half with the Pirates leading most of the way, but never being able to shake the Bulldogs. Faniel scored the first six points of the game for VC (14-11, 5-1), two fo the buckets from assists by Cowan. Hankerson hit a jumper at the 13:06 mark to push the Pirates to a 12-8 lead, but Hancock came back to knot the score at 12-12 a minute later.
The teams spent the next ten minutes of play going back and forth with the score remaining within a single possession. Hankerson put Ventura ahead for good with a layup with 4:38 remaining in the first half, making the score 29-28. Cowan and Deryck Harvey each made sets of free throws to stretch the lead to five, 33-28, and the Pirates held a 36-35 advantage at halftime.
A minute into the second half the score was 38-37 when VC went on a decisive 12-2 run. Faniel hit a jumper, then assisted a bucket by Hankerson. Cowan answered a Hancock score with a made shot, and Trevor LaCount and Reyes netted back-to-back scores. Faniel's offensive rebound and putback made it 50-39 with 13:32 remaining.
AHC made a run to close to within 51-45, but another Faniel tip in and three from Reyes turned the Bulldogs back. VC maintained their double-digit lead throughout the rest of the game, stretching the advantage to 15, 77-62 on Reyes' score at the 2:44 mark. Ventura rode out the game for the 85-75 victory.
The win keeps the Pirates in a first place tie atop the Western State Conference North Division with Cuesta, two games ahead of third place Oxnard. VC next travels to San Luis Obispo on Wednesday Feb. 8 to take on the Cougars in a first-place showdown. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 pm.