The MiraCosta men's basketball team made the short drive down the 78 freeway to take on rival Palomar College on Friday, and the result was a good one. Despite trailing 34-31 at halftime, the Spartans went on to dominate the second half the secure the victory by a final score of 74-62.  With the win MiraCosta remains at the top of the PCAC standings, with a perfect 3-0 record in conference play.  

Sophomore forward Kobe Smith was a dominant force on the hardwood for the Spartans.  Smith finished with 21 points and 8 rebounds, shooting 9-17 and making two three-point shots.  It was a balanced night offensively for MiraCosta, with Dylan Cabs and JC Campbell both adding 15 points.  Jalen Zeno and Kai Burdick scored eight and seven points respectively. Burdick also added an impressive 13 rebounds.

Statistically, MiraCosta outrebounded and made 13 more freethrows than their opponents, which was likely the difference in the game.  Palomar struggled at the freethrow line, shooting 5-13, 38%.  With the loss, Palomar College drops to 0-3 in conference play, and 5-10 overall.

The Spartans improve their overall record to 9-6, with the majority of the losses coming at the hands of ranked teams.  Next week MiraCosta will host Southwestern on Wednesday and then will travel to Mesa on Friday.