(Walnut, CA) With the Mt. SAC Men's Basketball Team trailing by five points midway through the second half, visiting Irvine Valley College went on a 14-6 run to build up a 13-point lead with 3:26 left in the game and came away with a 76-60 non-conference win Wednesday (Dec. 11).

"I'm happy with the effort we're putting out and showing a lot of heart," Mt. SAC coach Chris Oliver said. "We have some things we need to work on for the most part."

The five-point, 54-49 deficit at the 9:19 mark in the second half turned into a 13-point gap, 68-55, and the CCCAA No. 14-ranked Lasers (9-1) came away with the 16-point victory.

Mt. SAC (4-8), with its short bench, again had four of its five starters in double figures, led by freshman guard Collin Reed (6-11 FGM, 2-5 3PM, 4 RB, 2 Ast.) with 15 points.

"We believe in ourselves and as long as we work hard and play defense, I feel like we will be good," Reed said. "Things will start coming together."

"Since we are short on guys, we need everything we can get. Tonight (Wednesday) my teammates found me when I was open and I just knocked down the shot."

 Freshman guard Kalique Mitchell (3-7 FGM, 7 RB, 2 Stl, 2 Blk.) had 14 points and freshman forward Gerald Jordan (2-2 FTM, 6 RB), 13 points. Freshman guard Josh Jastrab (3-5 FGM, 2-3 3 PM, 3-3 FTM, 3 RB) added 11 points for the Mounties.

The Mounties started fast with a 7-1 lead in the first 3:25 minutes of the game, but an 11-0 run by IVC turned the game around and they had a 12-7 advantage at the 13:20 mark.

However, Reed stopped the Lasers run with a 3-pointer, to trail by a bucket, 12-10.

"Collin (Reed) wasn't as defensive-minded, but he's really starting to embrace that and it's showing," Oliver added.

The Lasers led at the half, 39-30 and began building up a double-digit lead. But Jastrab knocked down the first of his two 3's, to trail, 41-33.

The Lasers connected with a 3-pointer of their own for an 11-point lead (44-33), but Mt. SAC came right back with a long-range score of its own by Reed and later followed it up with a driving layup and free throw by Mitchell. The Mounties trailed, 47-38.

The Lasers finished off the game by outscoring the Mounties, 29-22, the rest of the way for the final 76-60 score.

The Mounties will start South Coast Conference crossover action Wednesday (Dec.18) as they host Long Beach City College. Game time is 6:00 pm.

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For additional information, please contact the Mt. SAC Sports Information Office at 909.274.4630.