After falling behind 13-2 in the early going, the VC men's basketball team could not keep pace with Allan Hancock College Wednesday, falling 71-56 in Santa Maria. Vondel Faniel paced the Pirates with a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds while Jamal Lewis and Toure Atwater each scored 11 points for Ventura (7-11, 0-2).
The Pirates trailed 13-2 at the 16:23 mark of the first half. they battled back to within 17-16 five minutes later, but were never able to take the lead. Hancock led 30-28 at halftime.
In the second half, fouls piled up quickly for VC. They were whistled for six personal fouls and a technical foul within the first 2:34 of the period. The Bulldogs were able to build their lead to 42-32 by that point. The teams played fairly evenly from that point on, with VC dropping the 71-56 decision.
Ventura will next travel to Los Angeles Pierce College on Saturday Jan. 17. Tip-off at the Brahma-Dome is scheduled for 3:00 pm.