Walnut, CA (Men’s Basketball) -- When the Citrus College Men’s Basketball team needed a lift on Wednesday night, they turned to sophomore Justin Johnson, who came through when it mattered most for the Fighting Owls. Johnson was clutch for Citrus scoring 16 of his team high 18 points in the second half (including eight in the final six minutes of the contest) helping guide the Fighting Owls to a 79-69 road victory over Mt. San Antonio College.
It would take awhile for Citrus to get things going against the Mounties. The Fighting Owls wouldn’t reach double-digits until 11:41 mark in the first half, when a Nathan Gibbs lay-up gave Citrus an 11-6 lead.
Citrus continued to push the lead with a Troy Payne lay-up and 3-point play from Keith Thompson, but the Mounties battled pulling to within 4 points of the lead on three separate occasions. The Fighting Owls would finally start to distance themselves, as they closed the half with an 8-1 run taking an 11-point 32-21 lead into the half.
In the second half, Citrus came out firing, growing their lead to 17 points after scoring six unanswered points to kick-start the half. The Fighting Owls would continue to keep their lead in the double-digit range, until the Mounties made their move with a 13-2 run over five minutes that resulted in Mt. SAC pulling to within five points after a pair of free-throws from Versia Hodges.
Citrus responded however, using a 13-4 run of their own pushing their lead back into double-digits taking a 60-46 lead after a jumper in the paint by Johnson. After that, a pair of treys from Jose Rivera and clutch free-throws from Johnson (90.3% from the free-throw line this season) sealed the deal as the Fighting Owls settled in for their 10-point victory.
Freshman Nathan Gibbs added 12 points in the win, while sophomore Troy Payne chipped in with 10 points and a game high 8 rebounds and 4 steals. For Mt. SAC guard Eric Ellis would lead the way with a game high 21 points.
The Fighting Owls will take the next week off to celebrate the Christmas holiday and get back to action on Sunday December 28th when they travel North to take on Sierra College (6-5) at Diablo Valley College. Tip-off is set for 5:00 PM.
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