Glendora, CA - The Citrus College Fighting Owls claimed their 14th victory of the season on Saturday night, breaking the win total for all of last season. The Owls hit 85% of their free-throws in the game, including 23-of-26 in the second half as they defeated LA Valley, 64-51.
A defensive dog fight was in the works early on as Citrus held a 14-4 lead through the first eight minutes of play. The Monarchs wouldn’t cross the ten-point mark until there were just five minutes to play in the half. With the Owls up ten, it was LA Valley’s turn to play defense as Citrus missed their next eight shots, allowing the Monarchs to climb within six points, 14-8.
Citrus went on a 6-0 run to go ahead by 12, but LA Valley would climb back to within six, 23-17 at the intermission. The teams combined for 29 turnovers before the break and the teams were shooting 29% from the field combined.
The second half belonged to the Owls as they pulled out to a 14-point lead, 39-25 in the first six minutes and never looked back. They would lead by as many as 19 points before settling for the 13-point win.
Citrus (14-7, 2-0 WSC) was led by Tron Smith, scoring 23 points. Jeremy Black was the only other player in double-figures for the Owls with 13, hitting 7-for-10 at the charity stripe.
The Owls will be back in action on Wednesday night as they travel to face the College of the Canyons. Citrus returns home next Saturday when they will play host to Glendale.