MISSION VIEJO, Calif. (Interstat) — The Irvine Valley Lasers escaped with a narrow 67-66 road victory over the Saddleback Bobcats in a California Community College men’s basketball game Friday night.

Irvine Valley built a five-point halftime lead but had to withstand a second-half surge from the Bobcats. Saddleback’s Michael Bichel led all scorers with 19 points and added eight rebounds in the loss. Teammate Christopher Williams contributed 16 points and five assists.

Matt Mowers paced the Lasers with 13 points. The win improved Irvine Valley to 11-4 overall, while Saddleback fell to 9-7. The teams will meet again Feb. 4 at Irvine Valley.