Cougars Settle for Split at Season-Opening 'Clash at Canyons' Tourney
Team Stats
Oxnard
| Game Statistics | Oxnard | Canyons |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (23-58) | (29-62) |
| Field Goal % | 39.7% | 46.8% |
| Rebounds | 41 | 32 |
| Assists | 8 | 20 |
| Turnovers | 15 | 11 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 11 | 17 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 14 | 5 |
| Pts in the Paint | 30 | 26 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 2 | 2 |
| Bench Pts | 24 | 30 |
Cuyamaca
| Game Statistics | Cuyamaca | Canyons |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (24-47) | (16-52) |
| Field Goal % | 51.1% | 30.8% |
| Rebounds | 30 | 32 |
| Assists | 8 | 7 |
| Turnovers | 12 | 15 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 17 | 12 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 4 | 8 |
| Pts in the Paint | 32 | 14 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 2 | 0 |
| Bench Pts | 20 | 9 |
By Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director
College of the Canyons opened its season with a home victory over Oxnard College on Friday night, before falling to Cuyamaca College the following evening in the championship game of the 16th Annual 'Clash at Canyons' Tip-Off Classic at Lee Smelser Court in the Cougar Cage.
Canyons (1-1) fell 71-63 in the championship contest despite holding a 41-38 advantage at the break. Cuyamaca (2-0) outscored the Cougars by 11 points across the final 20 minutes as COC went cold, finishing 3-of-21 from the floor in the second half. The Coyotes meanwhile knocked down 11-of-12 foul shots and forced the Cougars into nine turnovers to help pull ahead.
COC had three starters finish in double digits with freshman Justin Perez leading the way at 15 points. Freshman Maurice Pitts was next at 12 with sophomore Raz Orbach ending the game with 10.
Wyatt Wilson finished with nine points and Donovan Cornelius had eight to round out the Cougars' starting five. Stacy Webb led the reserves with seven points off the bench. Cornelius led Canyons with nine rebounds while Orbach was the assists leader at three.
Cuyamaca received the bulk of its points from starters Quintin Richardson and Kenneth Klu who finished with 19 and 12 points, respectively. Torrean Smiley provided the Coyotes a big boost with 17 points in a reserve role.
The loss to Cuyamaca snaps COC's home tourney win streak, with the Cougars having won the annual season-opening, four-team "Clash at Canyons' event in each of the last three seasons.
Wilson and Pitts were both named to the 'Clash at Canyons' All-Tournament Team as a result of their efforts.
Canyons is back at on the floor at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 7 at Irvine Valley College in the opening round of the annual IVC Classic.
Canyons Tops Oxnard 84-77 on Night One
The Cougars opened up a 46-36 first half lead before hanging on to claim an 84-77 victory on Friday in the first showing of the 2024-25 season.
Wilson led the offense with 16 points on a 5-of-8 shooting night, while Pitts ended the game after 15 points, including four three-pointers. Perez finished with 12 points and Webb came off the bench with 11 of his own.
Canyons combined to shoot just under 47 percent as a team while establishing a mark of 37.9 percent from three-point territory. The Cougars were outrebounded 41-32 by the Condors, however, Oxnard committed 15 turnovers compared to 11 for COC.
Oxnard bounced back from its opening night loss to claim a 78-61 victory over Barstow in the tournament's consolation game on Saturday.
Cuyamaca defeated Barstow 72-70 in a double overtime thriller to claim victory on night one and set up its championship game showdown vs. Canyons.
Stay up to date on all this season's action by following the College of the Canyons Athletic department on social media at @COCathletics on X, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
—Photo by Carla Sophia Velasco/COC Sports Information
