Men's basketball team drops third in a row, loses at Saddleback

Irvine Valley's men's basketball team had a rough night at Saddleback on Wednesday night in its second to last game of the regular season.

The Lasers dropped their third straight game, falling to the Gauchos, 68-46.

Irvine Valley went to 16-11 overall and 6-9 in the Orange Empire Conference.

The Lasers shot just 36.7 percent (18 of49) from the field, including 14.3 percent (2 of 14) from three-point range. IVC also missed half of their 16 free throws.

Irvine Valley had two players score in double figures in the contest.

Sophomore forward Bryce Roczey came off the bench with 13 points and five rebounds. Freshman guard JT Robinson added 10 points and three assists. Freshman guard Aaron Strings chipped in nine points.

Saddleback, which shot 56.0 percent (28 of 50) in the contest, got 13 points from David Dial, 12 points from Tristan Williams and 11 points, seven rebounds and five assists from Captain Whitlock in the win.

The Gauchos, who are ranked No. 20 in the state, improved to 18-9 overall and 11-4 in conference.

The Lasers play their final game of the regular season on Friday at 7 p.m. The Lasers host Santiago Canyon, which is ranked No. 4 in the state this week.