SAN JOSE, Calif.- The 2014-15 season is off to a slow start for head coach James Giacomazzi and the Cosumnes River men's basketball team, going 0-2 in the season's opening weekend, following a loss to Foothill. The Hawks shot a paltry 36% from the field, as Foothill connected on 12 three-pointers, leading the Owls to a 72-54 victory over CRC.
Cosumnes River entered Friday night's contest fresh off a 90-74 loss to host San Jose City in the opening round of the Tipoff Tournament. The Hawks, who turned the ball over 26 times the night before, looked to take better care of the ball against a talented, veteran Foothill Owls team. CRC got off to a fast start against Foothill, looking every bit the part of a team who won 23 contests a season ago, and made their third CCCAA Sweet Sixteen appearance in five years. The team jumped out to a large lead early against the Owls, holding Foothill to only three points over the first six minutes of the game, pushing the lead to double-digits early.
Freshman center Donald Mims made his interior presence felt early on the defensive end of the floor, blocking three shots early in the half, while also converting 2-2 from the field over the first 20 minutes of action. Freshman guard Will White was also impressive for the Hawks, converting 3-4 attempts from the field, including a three-pointer to lead the Hawks with seven points in the first-half.
Foothill burned three timeouts early in the game trying to slow CRC's momentum, while sophomore guards JJ Espinolla and Janvier Alaby hit shots from the perimeter early to keep the Hawks from pulling away. Cosumnes River remained in control for much of the half but failed to put away the Owls early, as Foothill mounted a run of their own down the stretch, scoring 18 points in the final five minutes to take a 40-30 lead heading into the half.
The Hawks opened the second half in possession of the ball, continued to be plagued by turnovers and missed scoring opportunities, as the Owls began to pull away for good by the 10 minute mark of the second half. Overall CRC shot 8-18 from the field in the second half, while turning the ball over nine times during this same span. Sophomore forward David Straughter (pictured) looked to spark the Hawks comeback, scoring nine points in the half and eight rebounds on the night, but it was too little too late as the Owls closed out the 18-point victory to advance to the consolation championship.
Straughter posted 10 points and eight rebounds in the contest, while dishing two assists and grabbing one steal. White tied Straughter for a team-high 10 points in the game. Sophomore guard Mitchell Love scored six points while contributing four assists on the day. Love also recorded a blocked shot and grabbed a steal. Freshman guard Demoriaye Hart-Spikes was second on the team with eight points in the contest. Mims was effective in limited action, scoring five points while grabbing eight rebounds, and blocking three shots on the night for the Hawks.
Foothill was led in scoring by Alaby, who continued to demonstrate why he is one of the top guards in Northern California, scoring 21 points to lead the Owls. Freshman forward Asante Monadjemi also scored in double-figures for Foothill, contributing 11 points on the night. The Owls (1-1) will take on Riverside in today's consolation championship game at San Jose City College.
Cosumnes River (0-2) is idle this week as the team prepares for the Ed Boyle Classic later this month at Mendocino College. CRC will take on Las Positas College of Livermore in the opening game on November 20th.