PG Zalmico Harmon flirted with a triple-double before settling for a merely outstanding game with 26 pts, including 4 three-pointers, plus 8 rebs and 10 asts to lead #9 Ventura to an easy 90-67 win over visiting Cuesta in WSC-North play Wednesday night.
Harmon easily posted game-highs in points and assists, and only the one-sidedness of the game kept him from getting to double digits in rebounds as he left the game with several minutes left and Ventura (20-5, 4-1) holding a lead of around 20 points.
Ventura went on a 12-0 run to take a 23-12 lead just over 8 minutes into the game and led the rest of the way. Cuesta (15-11, 2-3) got within three points at 25-22 and trailed by just six points at 46-40 at halftime, but shot a mere 21% from the floor in the second half as Ventura pulled away.
Cuesta led, 12-11, before the 12-0 run, which ended with PF Jaylin Airington hitting a 3-pointer to give Ventura a 23-12 lead. Cuesta cut the deficit to three points at 25-22 after Ctr Plamen Hristov hit a 3-pointer and scored on a driving lay-up, but Ventura pushed the lead back to 11 when Ctr Anthony Morman took a pass from PG Joseph Soto and scored to make it 35-24 with 6:03 left in the first half. Ventura's lead reached 12 points when Airington split two free throws following a steal to make it 44-32 with 2:38 left.
Cuesta cut the margin to just six points at 46-40 at the end of the first half, but quickly saw the deficit grow back to double digits in the first few minutes of the second half. A blocked shot by PF Najee Salaam started a fast break that led to SG Eric Mitchell scoring off a pass from SF Ivan Dooley to make it 55-44.
And this time, Ventura continued to increase its lead. Soto fed Mitchell with a long bounce pass for a lay-up that made it 59-46 with 13:15 left. Then Harmon hit one three-pointer to push the lead to 16 points at 62-46, and another a few minutes later to push the Pirate lead to 17 points at 71-54. Airington again split two free throws to make it an 18-point game at 74-56. Then Harmon and Airington combined on an alley-oop lay-in that pushed the Ventura lead to 76-56 and gave Harmon his 10th assist of the night with 8:20 remaining, ending any doubt as to the game's outcome.
In addition to Harmon, three Pirates scored in double figures, led by Salaam, who came off the bench for 16 pts, 8 rebs and 4 asts. Airington had 11 pts. And Mitchell had a remarkably efficient performance with 11 pts on 5-for-7 from the floor plus 4 rebs, 4 asts, 2 steals and no turnovers.
For Cuesta, Hristov had a team-high 21 pts and also grabbed 7 rebs. PF Vasil Bachev posted a double-double with 11 pts and a game-high 10 rebs. PF Khirey Carson came off the bench for 12 pts, but they all came in the first half. SG Kenny Robinson finished with 7 pts, 7 rebs and 7 asts. But Cuesta made just 7 of 34 shots in the 2nd half (21%) so 7 was definitely not a lucky number for Robinson and the Cougars.
box score
Wednesday, January 30, 2013 - 5 pm
at Ventura College
WSC-North
Cuesta Cougars 67:
0-Ellis Gibson, PG - 0/2 fg, 1/2 ft, 1 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 3 pf, 1 pt
3-Kenny Robinson, SG - 3/10 fg, 1/2 ft, 7 reb, 7 ast, 1 stl, 3 pf, 7 pts
21-Oscar Pedroso, SF - 3/5 fg, 1/1 ft, 6 reb, 1 stl, 3 pf, 7 pts
24-Vasil Bachev, PF - 3/14 fg, 4/5 ft, 10 reb, 1 ast, 3 pf, 11 pts
35-Plamen Hristov, C - 6/19 fg, 7/8 ft, 7 reb, 1 blk, 3 pf, 21 pts
55-Mohamed Ali Ben Ammar, C - 0/1 fg, 2 reb, 1 stl, 1 pf, 0 pts
1-Jeremy Landenbergue, F - 1/3 fg, 6/6 ft, 1 reb, 8 pts
32-Khirey Carson, F - 5/7 fg, 1/1 ft, 4 reb, 1 stl, 12 pts
44-Arne Ingebrigtsen, F - 0/2 fg, 2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 0 pts
33-Dmitry Utolin, F - 0/3 fg, 1 stl, 1 pf, 0 pts
team rebounds: 2
Totals: 21/66 fg (.318), 21/25 ft (.840), 42 reb, 11 ast, 1 blk, 8 stl, 17 pf, 67 pts
3-pt fg (4): Hristov 2, Bachev, Carson
Intentional Foul: Hristov
Turnovers (15): Robinson 4, Pedroso 3, Hristov 2, Gibson, Bachev, Ben Ammar, Landenbergue, Carson, Ingebrigtsen
Ventura Pirates 90:
2-Eric Mitchell, SG - 5/7 fg, 1/3 ft, 4 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl, 1 pf, 11 pts
3-Zalmico Harmon, PG - 10/16 fg, 2/2 ft, 8 reb, 10 ast, 2 pf, 26 pts
4-Ivan Dooley, SF - 2/9 fg, 3/4 ft, 7 reb, 4 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl, 1 pf, 8 pts
11-Jaylin Airington, PF - 4/10 fg, 2/4 ft, 4 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl, 3 pf, 11 pts
44-Anthony Morman, C - 1/3 fg, 0/1 ft, 1 reb, 1 stl, 1 pf, 2 pts
23-Najee Salaam, F - 7/13 fg, 2/4 ft, 8 reb, 4 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl, 1 pf, 16 pts
1-Joseph Soto, G - 4/10 fg, 1/2 ft, 4 reb, 6 ast, 2 stl, 5 pf, 9 pts
33-Jon McMurry, F - 1/2 fg, 2/2 ft, 6 reb, 1 pf, 5 pts
14-Dre Bennett, G - 0/2 fg, 0 pts
41-Dennis Savoy, F - 1/2 fg, 1 reb, 2 pts
5-J.R. Powell, G - 0/1 fg, 0 pts
team rebounds: 7
Totals: 35/75 fg (.467), 13/22 ft (.591), 50 reb, 29 ast, 2 blk, 9 stl, 16 pf, 90 pts
3-pt fg (7): Harmon 4, Dooley, Airington, McMurry
Fouled Out: Soto 3.6 seconds left
Turnovers (11): Dooley 4, Harmon 3, Soto 2, Salaam, Savoy
Halftime Score: Ventura 46, Cuesta 40
Updated Records: Ventura (#9-South, #17-Calif) 20-5, 4-1 in WSC-N; Cuesta 15-11, 2-3 in WSC-N
Ventura went on a 12-0 run to lead, 23-12, and led the rest of the way.
Ventura pulled away as Cuesta shot 21% (7-for-34) in the 2nd half.
