The Moorpark Raiders men’s basketball team took advantage of the paint to cruise past the Allan Hancock College Bulldogs 99-73 Saturday afternoon at Raider Pavilion.

Each team came out strong offensively, pounding the basketball down low  to try and establish a post game presence.

Despite guard Matt Mazarei forcing a more up-tempo style and scoring at will, the game was still close at 31-27.

Although turnovers kept the game close, the defense began to step up. The sudden defensive surge left the door open for Mazarei to take over and help the Raiders pull away.

In the last 30 seconds of the first half Mazarei scored six points, with one being a half court shot that hit nothing but net, and changed the entire complexion of the game.

The Raiders (16-9, 8-3 WSC) expanded their lead to 11, looking to keep the Bulldogs on a leash and close out the game.

Raiders forward Mike Meza went on a scoring spree, getting open shot after open shot. Meza’s play in the second half complemented Mazarei’s play in the first half as it helped the Raiders extend the lead to 86-66.

The high point came when Mazarei sprinted down the middle of the floor on a fastbreak to feed Wendell Antoine for a slam dunk.

The play ended all hope for the Bulldogs (2-24, 0-10) and was the cherry on top of a very solid performance for the Raiders, yet the play was not entirely impromptu.

“I told Wendell to run his lane really hard and I’d throw it to him,” said Mazarei.

Meza contributed the Raiders’ work on their interior passing as a contributor to tonight’s victory.

“It’s something we’ve been working on all season,” said Meza.

After a two game slide the Raiders are happy to be back in the win column, as they travel to San Luis Obispo to take on Cuesta College Wednesday, Feb. 17.