Ventura Holds Off Hancock, Firmly in Control of WSC

The VC men's basketball team used a dominant first half to build a big lead against visiting Allan Hancock College and withstood a late Bulldog charge to post an 80-63 victory Wednesday at the Athletic Event Center. Timothy Turner had 24 points, seven rebounds and seven assists to lead Ventura (17-7, 8-0), who now holds a three-game lead i the Western State Conference North Division with four games remaining. Tone Patton had 16 points and 11 rebounds while Dayshone Henry posted 13 points and 13 boards in the win.

The Pirates, now ranked No. 11 in the state, led wire-to-wire as Henry got VC on the board on the first possession, following a Hancock bucket, Jermaine Jordan cashed in Patton's dime for a 4-2 advantage, a lead VC would hold throughout the contest. Leading 9-5 with 16:39 remaining in the first half, the Pirates went on an 8-0 run to take control of the game. Jordan made a pair of free throws before Turner sliced through the paint for a deuce, then Patton scored off of Turner's sweet pass. Shulton Tobin converted another Turner dime at the 12:12 mark for a 17-5 margin. The Bulldogs fought back over the next four minutes, making it 19-15 with 8:24 on the clock, but a pair of Patton scores inside around two charity shots by Turner corrected the course for the Pirates.  Late in the half, Patton made two free throws for a 39-21 lead for VC before the Bulldogs had a score before halftime. The Pirates led 39-23 at intermission. 

VC built on their lead early in the second half. Donavan Williams and Tobin hit back-to-back three's to bump the lead to 22 points, 48-26, with 17:27 remaining. Ventura went cold at that point, going without a score for over three minutes, but the defense held fast, limiting AHC to a 6-0 run before Thomas Dangerfield finished an old-fashioned 3-point play at the 13:55 mark. Henry scored with a free throw, then a field goal for a 21-point advantage midway through the period, but the Bulldogs continued to keep the pressure on. When Turner hit a free shot at the 5:38 mark, the lead was still 17 points, 63-47, before Hancock's final charge, a 13-3 run over the next two minutes. The Pirates went on a 14-2 run after the Bulldogs trimmed the lead to 66-59, rebuilding a 19-point advantage en route to the 80-63 final score. 

Ventura dominated the boards, outrebounding Hancock 43-23 in the game. They shot 51 percent from the floor (28-55), including 60 percent (12-20) over the final 20 minutes. The Pirates were also 19-24 at the foul line (79 percent), including a perfect 8-8 in the final three minutes of play.

VC next travels to Los Angeles Pierce College on Saturday Feb. 5 for a 3:00 pm date with the Brahmas. They return home on Wednesday Feb. 12 against Moorpark.