THE COLLEGES : GSAC Basketball Roundup : Bickmore Rallies SCC With Second-Half Run

Jeff Bickmore led Southern California College to a 79-67 victory over Fresno Pacific in a Golden State Athletic Conference basketball game Tuesday at SCC.

SCC trailed at halftime, 32-27, but Bickmore scored 14 points during an 18-0 SCC run in the second half.

“We were pretty much standing around defensively, playing pretty flat-footed and passively,” SCC Coach Bill Reynolds said. “And you could say we alluded to that rather strongly at halftime.”

Bickmore scored on a layup, then Terry Scruggs stole the ball and took it fullcourt for a layup. In the next 5 minutes SCC (25-3 overall, 12-3 in conference) used a full-court press to force eight bad Fresno shots.

“The second half I was just getting the ball and getting good position inside,” Bickmore said. “(The run) was caused mainly by our defense getting loose balls and making steals.”

Said Reynolds: “We usually get a spurt like that, thank goodness. And we never know if or when it will come.”

SCC shot 50% during the second half and 41% for the game, but a 13-point lead became six points, 67-61, with 4 minutes to play.

“We had our peak and then went right back into the valley, “ Reynolds said. “I guess that’s really what you call game slippage.”

SCC and Fresno traded baskets the first 5 minutes of play and after tying the score, 14-14, and three scoreless minutes, Fresno (17-12, 8-5) pulled ahead to take the halftime lead.

Bickmore led all scorers with 25 points, Scruggs added 22 and Todd Dixon had 21. For Fresno, Donnie Johnson had 18, and Brian Falls had 11.

In another Golden State Athletic Conference men’s game:

Cal Lutheran 130, Christ College Irvine 96--Steve deLaveaga scored a single-game school record 51 points for host Cal Lutheran. He was 20 of 30 from field and 7 of 12 from three-point range. It was the 81st consecutive game he has scored in double figures. He is averaging a conference high 28.1 points a game.

Aaron Clasen scored 22 points and Albert Gay added 20 points and a team-high 10 rebounds for Christ College (4-25, 0-13).

In a Golden State Athletic Conference women’s game:

Fresno Pacific 66, Southern California 50--Irene Robles and Kellie Fry scored 17 points each to lead visiting Fresno Pacific (21-7, 11-2). Roxanne Trost scored 12 and Paula Hale 11 for SCC (5-24, 1-11).