Men's basketball team opens with 20-point win at Cuyamaca

Men's basketball team opens with 20-point win at Cuyamaca

The Irvine Valley men's basketball team got off to a good start in its first game of the 2021-22 season.

The Lasers went on the road Tuesday night and defeated Cuyamaca, 68-48.

"Our team defense was really good," Irvine Valley coach Jerry Hernandez said. "They have two really, good guards and we were able to slow them down. I thought Aaron Strings did a really good job of setting the tone. He was our guy on defense."

Irvine Valley, which was ranked No. 15 in Southern California in the California Community College Men's Basketball Association Presason Poll, had 11 players score in the contest and three in double figures.

Leading the way for IVC was freshman forward Charlie Henderson with 12 points. Sophomore guard Luc Krystowiak added 11 points and freshman guard Tyson Robinson had 10 points.

"Charlie played really well," Hernandez said. "He had a double-double and was a big key to our win."

Strings, a sophomore guard, chipped in seven points and freshman guard Brian Mendoza and sophomore forward Colby Waite each contributed six points.

"(Associate head coach) Jason Garey had a great scout for our guys on the defensive end," Hernandez said. "We defended really well. There are things to work on, but this was a solid win tonight."

Irvine Valley will get back into the gym for practice over the next week and plays again on Nov. 11 when it opens its Irvine Valley Classic against Ventura at 7 p.m. The first game of the night and the tournament will feature Cerritos against Canyons at 5 p.m.