The men’s basketball team fell 78-65 against LA Pierce College on Saturday, after a cold second half display.

City College faced a tough overtime loss against top-seeded Moorpark a week ago, and was forced to recover from the loss.

The Vaqueros took the command early in the game, and lead by 44-41 in the first half, David Lane notched 19 points while Lucky Teegarden stood for 16.

But after the optimistic start, City College found it hard to seal the deal. In the second half they shot as low as 20 percent and got outscored 37-21 in the final 20 minutes.

“We had a lot of close opportunities in the second half but we just didn’t capitalize,” said coach Morris Hodges.

6-foot 6-inch Santa Barbara native Willie Reese grabbed five rebounds overall, but Head Coach Hodges said he believed the Vaqs gave away big offensive rebounds in crucial moments.

The Vaqs are eager to sneak their way in and clinch a play-off birth this season; they are currently placed third from the bottom in the Western State Conference table.

The Vaqueros hope to bounce back in style for their next home game against Ventura at 7 p.m. tonight.