Al Green Drops 23 Points in Home Opening Win

San Diego City was missing three starters in Friday's home opener against Copper Mountain, but Al Green stepped up with a season-high 23 points off the bench to help lead the Knights to a 58-53 victory. It was their third straight win and the second over Copper Mountain this season as the 11th-ranked Knights improved to 11-3.

San Diego City struggled offensively as they shot only 32.3% from the floor in the first half, but overcame an early 5-point deficit and closed the period on a 9-4 run to take a 27-22 halftime lead with Green scoring 11 points in seven minutes of action. 

Copper Mountain, led by Jaylon Lee's 12 points, started the second half on an 8-0 run to give them a 30-27 lead. The Knights hit back with an 8-0 spurt of their own to regain a 35-30 lead with 14:33 left in the game. 

Copper Mountain, however, wasn't going away as they took a 49-48 lead at the 5:01 mark. Green responded with his third 3-pointer of the game to give City the lead, but Copper Mountain tied it for the fourth time it on a Jack Garrison layup. 

The Fighting Cacti had multiple chances to take the lead, but missed a 3 and a layup attempt. When the Knights went the other way, Anjay Cortez (nine points, six rebounds) drove into the lane and scored on a layup to put them up 53-51 with 2:56 left.

The score stayed the same until Logan Huston was fouled after a Copper Mountain turnover with 46 seconds remaining. Huston (eight points) knocked down both free throws to give City a 4-point lead and put the game out of reach. 

City overcame their worst shooting performance of the season (34.4%) with tough defense. The Knights forced Copper Mountain into 17 turnovers and turned them into 20 points. 

Starting point guard Lorenzo Wright had eight points, three rebounds, and three steals. Jaden Lebel added seven points and five rebounds off the bench.

San Diego City also defeated Copper Mountain, 74-49, in the opening round of the Grossmont tournament on December 3.

The Knights, who are currently tied for first in the PCAC at 2-0, get back to conference play with a game at Mesa on Wednesday, January 4 at 5 p.m. Their next home game is on January 6 vs. Southwestern at 6 p.m.