The Ventura College men's basketball team defeated Moorpark College 97-80 Saturday afternoon at raider Pavilion to complete a first-round sweep of Western State Conference North Division play. Tone Patton had 31 points and 12 rebounds to lead the way while guards Timothy Turner and Jelani Bell each handed out assists in the victory. The win puts the first-place Pirates at 5-0 through one round of conference play, with an overall mark of 14-9.
VC got off to a quick start with Patton connecting for two buckets and Dayveon Bates scoring a lay-up. Bell assisted a 3-pointer by Keron Bailey, Patton connected inside and Bell hit from range to make it 14-6 with 14:58 remaining in the first half. Patton's score a minute later extended the lead to double figures, and Jacob Berry connected on two field goal attempts to maintain that edge midway through the first half. Thomas Dangerfield and Turner each scored to make it a 31-17 game at the 9:17 mark and the teams battled from there down the stretch. The Raiders managed to close to within 38-34 with 2:43 remaining, but a free throw and a triple by Bell extended the lead back out. Ventura led 44-36 at halftime.
The Pirates began the second half on a 13-2 run to keep Moorpark at a safe distance. Patton netted six points in the run while Dangerfield recorded a pair of buckets. Bell assisted a lay-up by Bates, then hit one of two free throws to make it 57-38 with 15:46 left to play. The teams played even from that point with the Ventura advantage fluctuating between 14 and 19 points. Turner made a pair of free shots at the 2:17 mark to push the lead to 20, 91-71, and Elijah McCloud's score gave the Pirates their largest edge, 95-73, with 1:40 on the clock. Ventura posted a final 97-80 victory.
Turner scored 17 points in the win while Bates was a perfect 5-5 from the floor and 2-2 at the foul line for 12 points. Bell added 10 points and Bailey netted nine. Dangerfield scored six points with six boards and Berry added six points. Ventura shot 59 percent from the floor for the game, 37-63, and outrebounded the Raiders 44-22.
Ventura returns to the court on Saturday Feb. 9 at Santa Barbara City College. tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 pm and the game will be followed by the Pirate women at 7:00 pm.