Cuesta Men's Basketball opened its second swing through the Western State Conference (WSC) by avenging their January 11th loss at local rival Allan Hancock in Santa Maria.  This time they had the Bulldogs in San Luis Obispo and were able to earn a series split with a victory on their home court, 69-59.  The triumph vaulted Cuesta past the 30th-ranked Bulldogs, by a half-game, and into second place in the WSC.  The Cougars needed to play a total team game to beat the Bulldogs and boasted three players tied for the team lead with 14 points in the contest.  Center Alessandro Perotti dominated the paint and posted a double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds, while also posting game-highs with four assists and three blocked shots.  Reserve Forward Jozef Zlocha and Starting Guard Shinichi Itoh both matched Perotti for the team-high of 14 points in the game, while all-WSC Guard Stevie Waiters (pict) highlighted the Cougars' performance with his solid all-around game.  Waiters scored six points on six shots, but also grabbed six rebounds, made six steals and dished out four assists.  The Cougars are now 16-7 on the season with a 5-2 mark in conference play.  

Cuesta hits the road this Saturday (3 PM) when they face the WSC-leading Moorpark Raiders.