(Walnut, CA) Trailing 50-45 at halftime, host Mt. San Antonio College (23-2, 7-0) held East Los Angeles College (17-8, 4-3) to 23 points in the second half while overtaking the Huskies en route to an 83-73 South Coast Conference North Division victory on Wednesday, Feb. 14.
"This game was huge," said Mountie head coach Michael Fenison. "We clinched a tie for the (division title). We haven't done it in a long time. (Our) guys battled and believed in each other, and they played hard."
Down 61-59, Mt. SAC tied the game on a layup by Mikah Gardner (nine points) with 11:28 to play in the second half. From there, the Mounties went on a 19-7 run fueled by key three pointers from CJ Fisher (21 points, 10 rebounds) to build an 80-68 lead with 3:30 to play.
"This was a big game for us and it was a battle from the jump," said Fisher. "It took everybody and I'm glad we pulled it out."
Nick Hopkins posted a game-high 26 points for Mt. SAC, shooting 8-for-11 from the field.
Assured at least a tie for the SCC North title, the Mounties can secure the crown outright with a victory at Pasadena City College (15-10, 4-3) on Friday, Feb. 16, at 5 p.m.