For the third time this season, the Cerritos College men's basketball team lost a game by two possessions or less. On Wednesday, the Falcons (6-6) dropped a 74-71 decision to host Santa Monica College in a game where they battled back from a double-digit deficit to take a second half lead. The team will host Porterville College at 5:00 p.m. on December 22 in just their third-ever meeting. The Falcons defeated the Pirates, 72-69 in 2019, while Porterville posted an 87-79 win over Cerritos during the 1997-98 season. This will be their first time ever playing at The Aviary.

In the loss to the Corsairs (5-8), the Falcons were down, 43-29 at halftime after shooting just 35% from the field. It was a 50-31 Pirates lead with 16:15 remaining in the second half until Cerritos made their move. Over the next 7:08, the Falcons went on a 14-0 run, which included a pair of Garrett Bell (Sonora HS) three-pointers, four free throws from Jackson Barnhill (Long Beach Wilson HS) and two jumpers from Gorden Boykins (St. Anthony HS).

Buckets from Barnhill and Dorian Harris (Cerritos HS) put Cerritos in front, 65-64 with 3:10 left on the clock, and after the teams traded baskets, with both coming from Juice Belvin (St. Anthony HS), the Falcons were on top, 69-68 with 1:12 remaining. Those would be the final baskets by the Falcons, as their remaining points could come from the free throw line. With :14 seconds left, Santa Monica's Anthony Jaramillo drained a pair of free throws to account for the game's final points, as Cerritos did not get off a last shot.

Belvin converted 7-of-10 field goals and led the team with 14 points, while Jalen Shores (Lakewood HS) contributed 13 points, five rebounds and three assists off the bench. Bell, who had a trio of three-pointers, finished with 11 points, while Barnhill added eight points.