SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (Interstat) — Thomas Pickens scored 30 points and College of the Canyons used a decisive second-quarter burst to beat Cuyamaca 96-80 on Thursday in a men’s junior college basketball game.

Canyons opened quickly behind Pickens and Jeremiah Williams. Pickens made a 3-pointer, a dunk and a jump shot during an early surge, and Williams added a 3-pointer as the Cougars built a 19-6 lead with 13:17 left in the opening quarter. Craig Irons made a layup and a free throw, and Pickens later scored inside to push the margin to 33-14. Cuyamaca responded with a 29-8 run to close the quarter. Jalen Brown made two layups and two free throws during the comeback, while Rune Poelke made four free throws and Noah Soltero and Brown hit 3-pointers. Harlem Johnson also made four free throws, and Tek Velazquez added two. Atreju Delacruz capped the rally with a layup at the end of the quarter, giving Cuyamaca a 43-41 lead.

Canyons answered at the start of the second quarter. After Soltero’s layup gave Cuyamaca a 45-41 cushion, the Cougars scored 11 unanswered points. Williams hit a 3-pointer, Pickens made two free throws and a dunk, Williams added a layup and Craig Irons scored inside to push Canyons ahead 52-45. Canyons never trailed again and outscored Cuyamaca 55-37 over the second quarter. Pickens finished with 30 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks. Williams had 21 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block, while Irons added 18 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks. Julius Washington chipped in 11 points and 7 assists for the Cougars, who improved to 1-0. Emiliano Lopez scored 10 points, Aten Hassan had 6 points and 5 rebounds, and Canyons shot 31 of 60 from the floor and 26 of 30 from the free-throw line. Lopez made a 3-pointer and two free throws in the second quarter, and Hassan scored twice inside as Canyons pulled away.

Brown led Cuyamaca with 19 points and 6 rebounds. Delacruz finished with 13 points, 2 assists and 1 block. Lamont Wilkerson added 12 points, and Soltero had 7 points and 6 rebounds. Cuyamaca, now 0-1, shot 23 of 46 from the field, 6 of 11 from 3-point range and 28 of 38 from the free-throw line. The Coyotes had 26 rebounds, including 6 on the offensive glass, and committed 18 turnovers. Canyons had 32 rebounds, including 10 on the offensive glass, and committed 14 turnovers. Cuyamaca had 11 assists, 3 blocks and 25 fouls. Canyons had 6 assists, 6 blocks and 26 fouls. Canyons shot 8 of 24 from 3-point range. Canyons built a 19-point lead before Cuyamaca closed with the final three points.

Pickens, who had 23 points and 12 rebounds in a recent win over Oxnard, keyed the Cougars’ decisive run with free throws and a dunk. His 30-point effort helped Canyons turn a two-point halftime deficit into a double-digit win. Pickens scored 19 of his 30 points in the second quarter. Canyons scored 96 points from 78 possessions, an offensive rating of 122.7. Cuyamaca scored 80 points from 80 possessions, an offensive rating of 105.2.

Canyons will host Oxnard in its next game before facing Cerritos. Cuyamaca will host Los Angeles City in its next game before facing Los Angeles Pierce.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Canyons 67, Cuyamaca 58, and Interstat’s ELO system had projected Canyons with a 64 percent probability to win.