Men’s Basketball Opens Home Slate with Victory

TORRANCE, Calif. --- El Camino College opened its 2023-24 home schedule with an 83-62 victory over visiting Imperial Valley on Saturday night at the ECC Gym Complex.

Billy Ray Barnes III led the Warriors with 19 points on 8-for-14 shooting in 24 minutes off the bench. He grabbed six rebounds and snagged three steals. Freshman Shamar Carter added 14 points and grabbed six boards while Miguel Javier led the Warriors with seven assists.

For Imperial Valley, Taieem Comeaux led all scorers with 31 points and 13 rebounds in a losing effort.

The Warriors led by as many as 22 points and never trailed after the 12:48 mark of the first half. The defense forced 30 turnovers and turned those into 26 points. They also dominated the inside with a 50-32 advantage on points in the paint.

Barnes III also led a charge off the bench that resulted in 56 bench points for ECC while IVC managed just nine points from its reserves.

The Warriors turned an early 4-0 deficit into a 17-7 advantage and they never looked back. Imperial Valley got within six points with 16:58 left in the second half but an 11-0 run for the Warriors essentially put the game away as IVC never got the game within single digits again.

The Warriors will return to action on Wednesday with a road game against Santa Ana with tipoff set for 3:30 p.m.