The Pirates men's basketball team came to play Saturday evening, rolling to a 77-61 victory over Santa Barbara City College. Toure Atwater led VC with 15 points, all coming in the second half, and Vondel Faniel added nine points and a team-high six rebounds.
Ventura jumped out to a 14-6 lead several minutes into the contest. The lead grew to as many as 12 points in the opening half before Santa Barbara closed the half on a 14-7 run, cutting the lead to five at intermission, 31-26.
The Pirates once again started strongly in the second half, putting together an 18-7 run of there own, thanks to an offensive explosion from freshman guard Toure Atwater. He scored four field goals in a row for VC as they took their lead up to 20, 56-36, halfway through the final period. A 14-4 Pirate run put SBCC down for the count, and the Pirates coasted home for the 77-61 victory.
The Pirates used a balance scoring attack with Atwater leading the Pirates with 15 points. Faniel added nine while five other Pirates pitched in six or more points for the cause. Once again, the Pirates did a number on the glass, outrebounding the Vaqueros 39-19.
Ventura returns to the road again Wednesday Feb. 18, traveling to Oxnard College. Tip-off is set for 5:00 pm.