Asked to explain his team's 64-59 loss at Hancock Wednesday night, Ventura College men's basketball coach Ned Mircetic didn't mince words:

"We didn't play well. We played poorly. We didn't defend with any sense of purpose for a great majority of the game.

"I don't want to take anything from Hancock. They played well. They played hard. They were disciplined in what they did. For a team that's in the bottom third of the league, they played like the game had meaning to them."

Hancock had also upset Cuesta earlier this month at Joe White Gymnasium, so the Pirates could scarcely be excused for overlooking the Bulldogs.

"We knew that going in... and we still let them get up on us early in the game."

Hancock led 11-6 early and, after Ventura tied the game 18-18, used a 7-0 run to build a 33-28 halftime lead.