SUSANVILLE, Calif.- CRC men's basketball dropped a tight game last night on the road to Lassen, 95-85, in the first game of the 1^st Annual Lassen College Classic.  The Hawks, who were down by as much as 24 points in this contest, closed the gap to four points before the Cougars put the game away late in the second half.  CRC will look to rebound later today when they take on Simpson at 4 PM.

The Hawks played their worst five minutes of the season last night, as Lassen took control of the contest from the opening possession.  In front of a very loud audience, the Hawks came out of the gates visibly rattled, as the Cougars dominated the first few possessions of the game.  Freshman guard Denzel Famble made an impact immediately, leading the Cougars to an early double-digit lead that would grow to as many as 24 points, during the first 20 minutes of the game.  Fambled scored 26 points for Lassen in the first half, as Lassen cruised to a 58-41 advantage at the half.  The Hawks didn't help themselves either shooting an abysmal 15 of 45 from the field, and committing seven turnovers, five of which the Cougars took for transition scores.

The second half was very different, however, as CRC jumped out in the second half to silence the raucous crowd.  Within the first ten minutes, the Hawks had closed the deficit to single digits, as sophomores AJ Bridges and Jaycob Velasco took over the game.  Bridges, who only scored four points in the opening 20 minutes, scored 22 of his team-high 26 points in the second half to bring the Hawks back into the game.  Forward Velasco grabbed six rebounds in the half and connected on a pair of three-pointers, as CRC closed the gap to as little as four points with five minutes to play.  However, that's as close the Hawks would come, as Famble quickly answered with his fourth three-pointer of the game, sealing the 95-85 victory for Lassen who improved to 9-5 on the year.  Freshman guard Meshawn Beard also impressed in Lassen's home opener, scoring 20 points on the night, including hitting three three-point baskets on the night.  Freshman guard Andrew Johnson had his best game yet for Cosumnes River, scoring 13 points while grabbing four rebounds, dishing five assists, with four steals and a block in the loss.

Cosumnes River (8-3) will look to recover quickly, when they take on Simpson later today at Lassen.  Tipoff for that contest is scheduled for 4 PM.  The Hawks will close out the 1^st Annual Lassen College Classic tomorrow at 1 PM, when they take on Feather River.