Mariners' Men's Basketball took part in heart breaking game in Oroville on Friday. The Mariners made the long road trip, and for the first half it all looked to be worth it. College of Marin led by five at halftime before a brutal stretch to begin the second half put the game out of reach. Jalen Chandler led the Mariners with 17 points and eight rebounds but it was not enough as they fell to the Butte College Roadrunners 75-59.
The Mariners began the game in an early hole, but excellent defense spurred a rally. Butte opened the game on an 11-4 run but Marin fought back and tied the game at 24-24. The Mariners took the lead at 28-26 thanks to pair of free throws by Franco Barefield. They ended the half with an alley-oop layup by Chandler to put Marin in front 40-35 at the intermission.
The second half began like the first, as Butte scored the first six points to take a 41-40 lead. Marin answered with a bucket to retake the lead, but 12 straight by the Roadrunners put the Mariners in a double-digit deficit 53-42. The Mariners could get no closer than 10 points for the remainder the game, as they trailed 55-45 midway through the half. They trailed by as many as 16 before the clock expired with the final score 75-59.
As a team the Mariners shot 43.9% from the floor, but made just two of 14 three pointers. Butte was more efficient with a total shooting percentage of 52.9% and five made triples.
Butte's Noah Zoppi led all scorers with 18 points while his teammate Shakwon Lewis tallied 16 and five assists. Chandler recorded 17 points for the Mariners on the strength of 7-14 shooting, while teammate Malik Ghiden scored 15 points and grabbed four boards.
The loss dropped the Mariners' record to 2-3 on the young season. Next up for Marin is a home date with Folsom Lake College on Wednesday, November 20th. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30pm.