Men's Basketball bounced back from an overtime loss to Santa Barbara on Monday, 86-83, to close their first swing through the Western State Conference with a win at Los Angeles Pierce on Wednesday, 82-54.  They claimed their re-match with the Vaqueros in Santa Barbara on Saturday, 71-69, to open the second round.   Guards Drew Ardouin (pict) and Aaron Russell (pict) led offense last week.  Ardouin scored 28 points in the Cougars' overtime loss to Santa Barbara on Monday, while Russell netted 21 in the victory at Pierce.  On Saturday, the both chipped in 21 points to get revenge against the Vaqueros.  The much-needed victories moved the Cougars to 11-12 overall and 2-5 in WSC play. 

The Cougars had some impressive wins during their pre-conference schedule, but their slow start in WSC play has left them four games behind Ventura with five games left in the regular season.  The Cougars host the Pirates this Wednesday (7 PM) and travel to Santa Maria on Saturday (5 PM) to face local rival Allan Hancock.