Locked in a late game battle with host Mt. San Antonio College on Friday night, the Cerritos College men's basketball team suffered a 77-69 South Coast Conference crossover loss. The Falcons (7-9) close out their crossover games next Wednesday with a 5:00 p.m. home game against Los Angeles City.

Trailing, 69-61 with 3:37 remaining in the second half, Cerritos scored the next six points to draw to within 69-67. However, the Mounties were able to convert 8-of-10 from the charity stripe in the final 1:07 to secure the win. On the night, Mt. SAC (15-1) netted 23-of-33 from the free throw line, compared to the Falcons, who were good on 12-of-20.

The sophomore pairing of Eric Clark (Cerritos HS) and Miles Ceballos (Crossroads HS/Ventura College) combined to make 15-of-24 field goals, while the rest of the team struggled to go 7-for-38. Clark kept the game close with 19 of his 23 points in the first half, while Ceballos posted all 12 of his points in the second half. Ceballos also added five rebounds and three assists, while Clark pulled down three offensive rebounds before fouling out.

Sophomore Taeo Thomas (Verbum Dei HS) added 11 points and four steals, with freshman Darron Henry (Long Beach Poly HS) coming off the bench to contribute 10 points. Freshman Marcel Hayes (Long Beach Poly HS) led the team with seven rebounds.