Sophomore Isaac Sowell (Dominguez HS/Cal Poly Humboldt) converted a layup with 24 seconds left in the game to propel the Cerritos College men's basketball team to a 71-68 non-conference win at Allan Hancock College on Wednesday night. The win was the fifth in a row for the Falcons (5-1), who will open the Citrus College Holiday Classic on December 5 against Santiago Canyon College.

With a combined 16 ties and lead changes over the course of the game, the teams were within one possession of each other for the final 11:22 of the game. The Falcons led by as many as eight points (48-40) with 14:46 remaining after sophomore Kamaury Washington (Long Beach Millikan HS/Santa Ana College) converted one of two free throws. But the Bulldogs (4-4) went on a 12-4 run to tie the game with 11:05 left when Arland Konjuhi knocked down a three-pointer.

Over a four-minute span, the only points Cerritos scored were from the free throw line, as the netted 10-of-10 and went 0-for-2 from the field. Trailing 67-66 with 3:40 left, neither team would score for over a minute until freshman Elijah Gelin (Winward HS) knocked down a jumper, and when the Bulldogs were successful on one of their two free throws on their next possession, the next points to be scored by either team were the game-winning ones by Sowell.

Both teams made wholesale substitutions with 1:22 left on the clock and after a Falcons turnover and missed Allan Hancock shot, Washington pulled down the rebound, with Cerritos calling timeout and only 34 seconds left in the game.

Coming out of the timeout, Sowell was able to drive to the basket and scored, giving the Bulldogs one last chance to tie the game. But sophomore Dorian Tate (St. Paul HS/Rio Hondo College) had other plans, as he stole the ball with five seconds left, with Washington fouled a second later. He converted the second of his two free throws, with Allan Hancock missing their last-second three-point attempt.

Gelin, who connected on 5-of-6 field goals, which included a pair of three-pointers, led the team with 15 points off the bench, while Sowell added 14 points of 7-of-9 shooting and five rebounds. Washington contributed 12 points, seven rebounds and six steals, with Tate scoring six of his eight points from the free throw line and pulled down five boards. The trio of freshman Daryl Holt (St. John Bosco HS), along with sophomores David Mack (St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy HS/Northern Illinois University) and Jaysen Owens (Narbonne HS) - who had a team-high nine rebounds - all finished with six points.