Men's Basketball: Bulldogs Earn Playoff Bid as No. 17 Seed in SoCal Regional Tournament

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The Allan Hancock College men's basketball team will be returning to the playoff stage for the first time since the 2019-20 season, despite suffering a loss to the league-leading Ventura College Pirates in the regular season finale on Friday evening. | FULL BRACKET

The Bulldogs struggled to find their groove on Friday evening and entered the halftime intermission trailing by nine points after Ventura rattled off a late 11-2 run to end the half. Hancock's out-of-rhythm woes continued in the second half, leading to a final shooting tally of 35.9 percent from the field while also committing 20 turnovers. Taevon Pierre-Louis led the way for the home squad with a double-double performance that consisted of 15 points and 11 rebounds. Kevin Kogbara and Onias Outlaw rounded out the top scorers with 11 points and 10 points, respectively. Kogbara also dished out a team-high mark of three assists on the night while also adding three steals and two blocks. Hancock closed the league slate in third place with a final record of 8-4 against Western State Conference (North) foes.

The Bulldogs (18-10) were tabbed as the No. 17 seed in the 2023 Southern California Regional Tournament bracket. They will hit the road to face No. 16-seeded West LA College (18-10) on Wednesday evening for the first round of postseason action. The Wildcats earned a second place finish in the Western State Conference (South) after posting a 10-4 record in league play. This week's meeting will mark just the second showdown on record for the two programs dating back to the 2009-10 season. 

The winner of Wednesday's contest advance to the second round and will make a trip to face No. 1-seeded Fullerton College on Saturday, February 25th.