SANTA ANA, Calif. (Interstat) — A tightly contested California community college men’s basketball race will see a key rematch Thursday when the Santa Ana Dons host the Riverside City Tigers.

The Dons (18-5) edged the Tigers (14-9) 64-62 on Jan. 21 in Riverside, a result that figures to fuel the visitors’ motivation. Santa Ana enters with the superior overall record, but is looking to rebound from a 95-71 home loss to Fullerton last Friday. Riverside arrives with momentum after an 80-54 victory over Saddleback that same day.

The first meeting was a defensive struggle, and a similar battle is anticipated. Riverside’s Tylon Williams, who scored 11 points with six rebounds in the January loss, is coming off a strong performance of 17 points and seven rebounds in 27 minutes against Saddleback. His consistency will be crucial for the Tigers’ offense.

Santa Ana counters with Cameron Swist, who had five points, five rebounds and two assists in the earlier win over Riverside. Swist has been a volume scorer lately, including a 26-point outing against Cypress and 19 points in the loss to Fullerton.

Both teams have shown recent volatility. Riverside’s last five games include both a 51-point win and a 29-point loss. Santa Ana has split its last four contests. The Dons’ home-court advantage and prior narrow win make them a slight favorite, but the Tigers have demonstrated they can compete at a high level, setting the stage for another potential nail-biter in Orange County.

Tipoff is set for Thursday, Feb. 12, at Santa Ana College. Following this game, Riverside will host Cypress on Feb. 18, while Santa Ana will host Irvine Valley the same night.