Editor’s note: City Times Media’s Vince Outlaw and Danny Straus will be adding play-by-play and color commentary to all remaining men’s home games during the 2024-25 season. To watch the video, click here Audio feeds and transcripts will be shared as they become available.
San Diego City College men’s and women’s basketball teams were victorious in a rare home doubleheader Friday, Jan. 24, before a large crowd enthused over free burritos and commemorative jerseys at Harry West Gymnasium.
City Times Media provided play-by-play and color commentary for the games that were broadcast live on the CTM YouTube channel.
City College men down Grossmont College, 102-71
City College first-year sophomores Brandon Bento-Jackson and Marley Gonzales each scored 18 points as the Knights beat the Grossmont College Griffins, 102-71.
Four other Knights scored in double figures and City won both the assist and rebounding categories by large margins, 25-12 and 35-19, respectively.
City improved its Pacific Coast Athletic Conference record to 8-1 (16-5 overall), the best in the PCAC, while Grossmont dropped to 1-8 (1-20), last in the conference.
Bento-Jackson has become a weapon from behind the 3-point arc for the Knights. He scored all of his points Friday from deep, shooting 6-of-9, and added four steals and four assists without any turnovers. His long-range shooting is a key strategic piece of his game.
“My whole life, I’ve been a smaller guy,” Bento-Jackson said post-game. “Extending my range has been a big priority in my game. (I’ve) spent thousands and thousands of hours on that, thousands of shots. I’m happy it was able to come to fruition tonight.”
While City led at halftime by 11 points, Grossmont was a pesky opponent. The Knights turned the ball over 12 times (on 11 first-half assists) and committed eight personal fouls.
City blew the game open early in the second half, opening the period on a 21-9 scoring run, pushing the lead to 23 points, and never looked back.
“We know we’re better than that in the first half,” Bento-Jackson said. “Our rankings have been top of the charts on our defensive. We just had to get back to that and lock in on our principles.”
The Knights are on the road Tuesday at San Diego Mesa (9-12, 4-5) and, after a weekend bye, the following Wednesday at Imperial Valley. City returns home to Harry West Gym on Friday, Feb. 7, against Cuyamaca.
Knights women defeat Southwestern, 82-56
The City College women trounced Southwestern, 82-56, at Harry West Gym in a game where the Knights went up 45-25 at halftime and never looked back.
City’s swarming defense propelled them to a victory over the Southwestern, forcing 18 Jaguar turnovers and holding the Jaguars to 32.8 percent shooting from the field.
“It’s all about hustle, hard work and comes down to who wants it more,” sophomore guard D’Ajanae Lewis said post-game.
With the win over Southwestern, the Knights won for the third time in their last four games, all against PCAC opponents.
The Knights had five players score in double figures, led by Aamori Daniels’ 24 points and 15 rebounds.
Standing at 5-foot-3, Lewis led all players with 20 rebounds and spoke with City Times Media after the win about her tenacious style of play.
“I think it’s just with me being so fast, I get there really fast,” Lewis said. “So, it’s just like, do I want to go for it or do I not? And so I just go for it.”
Freshman forward Deveney Gonzales recorded a double-double with ten points and ten rebounds off the bench, both season highs.
The Knights (10-10, 3-3 PCAC) will be back in action against Grossmont College (15-4, 4-2 PCAC) at Harry West Gym, Wednesday, Jan. 29.
