The VC men's basketball team defeated Riverside for the second time this season Thursday, posting a 79-61 victory over the Tigers at the RCC tournament. Caleb Gilbert filled the net with 25 points on 10-12 shooting from the floor, 2-3 rom three, and 3-4 at the free throw line while Kai Johnson netted 20, including a 7-8 performance at the foul line. Derrick Young and Mykayle McCoy each pulled in nine rebounds to lead the Pirates (5-7).
The teams battled through the first 15 minutes of action going toe-to-toe with five ties and six lead changes. Derrick Young made a free throw with 5:17 remaining in the first half for a 23-23 score, and Dominik Contreras' three on the next possession gave Ventura the lead for good. RCC pulled to within 29-28 with 4:31 on the clock before Johnson's tip in and Gilbert's dunk began a 9-2 run for the Pirates to close the half. VC led 38-30 at intermission.
After Riverside netted a deuce to open the second half, Johnson and Gilbert hit back-to-back three's to expand the Ventura advantage to 12 points, 44-32. The Tigers neve got closer than nine points for the remainder of the contest, and Beckham Rutherford's lay-up made it 79-51 for VC with 2:44 on the clock for the Pirates' largest lead of the game. Riverside scored the final 10 points of the game to set the final margin.
Rutherford totaled 10 points off the bench with four assists and McCoy added seven points. Johnson and Gilbert also handed out four assists each.
The Pirates return to Riverside on Saturday Dec. 9 to complete the tournament with a contest against San Bernardino Valley College. Tip-off is scheduled for 10:00 am.