M. Basketball; Eagles Win at Copper Mountain

The MSJC basketball led from start to finish on Saturday afternoon as they went on the road to Joshua Tree and came away with an 80-72 win over Copper Mountain College.

The Eagles held a lead of 33-24 at halftime and held off a late charge by the Fighting Cacti to bring home the Inland Empire Athletic Conference road win.  Copper Mountain cut the lead all the way down to two late in the game, but big shots by Jamaal Barnes and free throws by Ethan Bell, Jernard Jackson, and Kamien Cederlind helped salt the game away for MSJC.

Barnes continued his torrid pace as he scored a game high 32 points in the victory.  Barnes also grabbed 8 rebounds for the Eagles.  Bell finished his afternoon with 12 points while Cederlind ended with 10.  Mekhi Hill also played well as he socred 8 points, pulled in 6 rebounds, and dished out a team high 4 assists.  Chidi Okwarabizie continued to be a force on the boards for the Eagles as he grabbed a game high 13 rebounds.

The win improved the Eagles to 10-11 overall, they are 6-3 in IEAC action, Copper Mountain fell to 9-12 and 3-6.  MSJC will be at home twice this week as they host Barstow on Wednesday night and welcome Cerro Coso to town on Saturday afternoon.  Wednesday's game is part of a doubleheader with the women's team and will tip at 7 pm, while Saturday's contest is slated to begin at 3 pm.