Cerritos College Athletics - 2008-09 Men's Basketball News: Late turnovers prevent Cerritos from winning

After fighting back to get to within a 62-62 tie with rival Long Beach City College in a South Coast Conference South Division road game on Wednesday night, the Cerritos College men's basketball team struggled to keep control of the ball and eventually dropped an 80-71 decision. The loss dropped the Falcons to 13-10 overall and 3-1 in the division, while the Vikings improved to 6-12 and 2-0. Cerritos will now host ECC Compton College on Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. in a cross-over game.

Sophomore guard Ken Brown (Soldan, MO HS/Southwest Tennessee CC) converted a pair of free throws with 6:34 remaining in the second half to complete a comeback that was as big as 14 points (50-36) with 16:04 left in the second half. But a pair of turnovers and an ill-advised shot led to six straight Long Beach City points, who never looked back and recorded the nine-point win. The Falcons got as close as 68-64 with 3:38 left, but the Vikings converted their free throws to seal the win.

Sophomore guard Jeremy Pope (Mayfair HS) led the team with 12 points, while Brown finished with 14 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals. Sophomore forward Marcellus Jackson (Independence HS) added 12 points and 10 rebounds, with freshman forward Willie Edwards (Moreno Valley HS) checking in with 10 points and eight rebounds. The Vikings, who converted 20-of-26 free throws, saw former Falcon Leo Arnold lead them with 16 points.