Leading by as many as 15 points (68-53) with 3:30 left in the second half, the Cerritos College men's basketball team held on for an 80-76 win over host Pasadena City College on Friday night. The win was the fourth in the last five games for the Falcons (11-7), who will now start South Coast Conference South Division on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. when they host Compton College.

Sophomore guard Dillon Botts (Mayfair HS) drained a three-pointer to give the Falcons their 15-point lead before Pasadena City started their comeback. But every time the Lancers started a scoring run, sophomore center Spencer Ezewiro (Paramount HS/Moberly Area, MO CC) was there to stop it, as he scored the team's next eight points. Leading just 76-73 with 11 seconds remaining, sophomore forward Andrew Mata (Schurr HS/Holy Cross, IN College) netted a pair of free throws, while Botts secured the win with two free throws with just five seconds left close out the scoring.

Cerritos was able to open their lead with their precision shooting in the first half, as they connected on 62% of their shots, which allowed them to take a 42-33 lead into halftime. But it was the play of Ezewiro in the second half that earned the win for the Falcons, as he scored 21 of his points (10-of-11 FG) in the second half. He finished the game with 24 points and nine rebounds.

Botts added 14 points, five assists, three rebounds and three steals, with sophomores Marcel Hayes (Long Beach Poly HS) and Jordun Willard (Paramount HS) each contributing nine points off the bench. Hayes also dished out five assists and hauled in five rebounds, with sophomore Blake Brewer (Orange Lutheran HS), who had eight points, five rebounds and three assists and sophomore Darron Henry (Long Beach Poly HS) with seven points, eight assists and four rebounds also playing well.