Cougars Start Strong Fall On The Road

The 2025–26 season began under the bright lights of Robertson Gym at UC Santa Barbara, where the Cougars made their debut against Santa Barbara City College on Halloween afternoon.

Cougars Start Strong Fall On The Road
Box Score
October 31, 2025

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — LA Southwest opened the season on the campus of UC Santa Barbara at Robertson Gym and fell to Santa Barbara City College 84 to 52 in a 2 p.m. matchup. It was the season opener for both teams. Southwest came out active on the glass and settled in defensively after an early timeout, trading baskets and rebounds through a competitive first quarter.

Southwest worked the interior early. Kelis Jones scored on a driving layup at 7:31 in the first, and Lailah Whittle tied it 16 to 16 with a finish at 9:03 in the second. The Cougars kept the ball moving to get paint touches and drew contact to reach the line. The group posted 20 points in the paint and grabbed 14 offensive rebounds, which kept possessions alive and set up second-chance looks.

Out of the break the Cougars continued attacking the rim. Whittle cashed in two free throws at 8:11 in the third and added another strong finish at 6:22 to slow the Vaqueros' run. Destiny Hurt-Floyd pushed the tempo while Rian Dillihunt handled the perimeter spacing and rebounding duties, collecting eight boards. Southwest stayed connected in its half-court defense, forcing multiple contested shots before late conversions by the hosts widened the margin.

The bench gave the Cougs a lift down the stretch. Lluvaster Hernandez scored inside and from the stripe, hitting two free throws at 3:12 in the fourth and knocking down a jumper at 1:58. Dillihunt drilled a right-wing three-pointer at 2:46 and added a pull-up at 0:35 to close scoring. Southwest was out-rebounded 57 to 43 against a much taller lineup but outscored the Vaqueros 7 to 4 in bench points, showing effort and composure through the final horn.

Lailah Whittle led the Cougars with 13 points and eight rebounds. Kelis Jones added 11 points and a team-high four steals, while Rian Dillihunt finished with nine points and eight rebounds. Destiny Hurt-Floyd chipped in seven points and two assists, and Lluvaster Hernandez contributed seven points and five boards off the bench. The Cougars are now 0 to 1 and look to bounce back Saturday against Santa Ana College at 3 p.m. at Santa Barbara City College.