The Mountain Lions, typically a “second-half team,” went into their rematch against Chabot College on Feb. 6 with a new mindset.
Aiming for a strong start, the team succeeded in the first half, leading for most of it before Chabot closed the gap and took a one-point lead, 36-35, into halftime. The Mountain Lions stepped off the gas, closing the game 83-72, 11 points down.
This loss marks De Anza’s second defeat against Chabot this season. Their first game on Jan. 10 ended in overtime, with Chabot escaping in a 91-86 victory.
“We did a pretty good job of getting downhill, getting to the basket,” said De Anza assistant coach Patrick Gallmann. “The difference in the first half was that they got to the free throw line twice as much as we did, and they turned the ball over twice, and we had nine turnovers. Those nine dead possessions just killed our momentum.”
De Anza started halftime down by just one, but shooting struggles and defensive lapses in the second half prevented them from closing the gap.
Gallmann credited Chabot for their 3-pointers, with 10 in total. In the second half, guard Aiden Burris (Chabot No. 30) made five 3-pointers.
“That’s 15 points right there,” Gallmann said. “Then we had one (3-pointer) in the second half.”
Despite De Anza’s early energy, Chabot’s constant pace persisted until the end of the game.
Amani Johnson (Chabot No. 2), who scored 16 points, four assists and four rebounds, led the Gladiators.
Marcellus Edwards (Chabot No. 3) and Zion Yeargin (Chabot No. 13) also each scored 14 points, with Yeargin grabbing five rebounds and going five-for-six from the free-throw line.
Forward Theo McDowell (De Anza No. 24), 18, business major, led an impressive performance with 27 points, 10 rebounds and four assists while shooting an efficient 12-for-17 from the field.
Justice Owens (De Anza No. 4), business major, contributed 22 points, adding four rebounds and three steals, though he struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just one of the nine 3-point attempts.
Sean Crowley (De Anza No. 32), business major, controlled the boards with 11 rebounds but had difficulty finding his shot, going two-for-12 from the field. The team collectively shot 46.2% from the field but struggled deep, making just four of their 3-point attempts.
Forward Dominic Diaz (De Anza No. 20), 19, business major, who contributed six points, acknowledged the team’s effort but pointed out areas to improve in.
“The team did well. There are definitely areas we can improve on,” Diaz said. “I did foul out today so I need to be more aware of my fouls.”
Forward Yuval Lewis (De Anza No. 15), 18, computer science major, echoed a similar sentiment.
“We started off strong, which we typically don’t do,” Lewis said. “Second half, we could have brought more energy. We let them take the game into their own hands.”
