Knights Erase 11-Point Deficit to Beat Southwestern, 84-77

The 7th-ranked Knights fell behind by as many as 11 points in the second half, but they rallied back to win their fifth straight, 84-77, over Southwestern to improve to 13-3 overall and 4-0 in the PCAC. Kailen Rains led all scorers with 19 points and also grabbed five rebounds to help City win its 25th consecutive conference game.

Anthony Howell put in nine points to go with 10 rebounds, five assists, and two steals, while Al Green added 14 points, four rebounds, and two blocks.

The first half was a seesaw battle with seven ties and nine lead changes, but Southwestern closed it on a 12-4 run in the last 2:48 to take a 42-39 halftime lead. 

The Jaguars' momentum carried over to the second half as they scored the first eight points to take their largest lead of the game, 50-39, with 18:37 left in the game. A minute later, Southwestern big man Paris Smith (13 points), who was causing problems for the Knights in the paint, committed his fourth foul and went to the bench. 

The Knights took advantage and went on a 12-0 run to regain a 51-50 lead on an Anjay Cortez (11 points, six rebounds) layup with 13:17 remaining. City kept pushing the pace and eventually took an 11-point lead, their largest of the game, on a 3-pointer from Cortez.

Southwestern, led by Damascus Sanders' 17 points, got within five with 1:03 left in the game, but the Knights did not allow the Jaguars to get any closer as they went on to earn their sixth win in the last seven games.

Lorenzo Wright played big minutes off the bench and produced 15 points, 11 of which came in the first half, to go with three rebounds. Logan Huston filled the stat sheet with nine points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. 

The win was City's third straight over Southwestern.

The Knights have not lost a PCAC game since January 31, 2020 when they lost to Southwestern.

San Diego City will play at Imperial Valley (0-14, 0-4 PCAC) on Wednesday, Jan. 11 at 5 p.m. The Knights will be back home against No. 13 Miramar on MLK Day (January 16) at 5 p.m.