SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (Interstat) — Thomas Pickens scored 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as Canyons pulled away early and defeated Oxnard 98-69 in a men’s junior college basketball game Friday.

Canyons never trailed after Jeremiah Williams opened the scoring with a 3-pointer in the first quarter. The Cougars opened with nine straight points behind Williams’ 3-pointer and two free throws, Pickens’ two free throws and Craig Irons’ dunk. Maximo Luna answered with a 3-pointer for Oxnard, but Canyons kept the pressure on and built a 57-35 lead after the opening period. Williams made another 3-pointer and two free throws during the early surge, Pickens converted free throws, and Aten Hassan and Julius Washington helped stretch the advantage with 3-point shooting. Jose Valdovinos hit three 3-pointers in the first quarter for Oxnard, but the Condors could not keep pace. Canyons closed the opening period with an 8-0 run on a free throw by Emiliano Lopez, two dunks by Irons and a 3-pointer by Pickens.

Canyons scored 41 points in the second quarter, while Oxnard scored 34. Canyons led by double digits throughout the second quarter. The Cougars kept rolling early in the second quarter. Williams made two free throws, Julius Washington scored on a layup and Emiliano Lopez added a jump shot as Canyons moved ahead 74-43. Oxnard answered with its best stretch of the game, getting a jump shot and two free throws from Stacy Johnson, two free throws from Derrick Martinez and a layup and free throw from Carter Jones to cut the deficit to 75-55. Canyons regained control with free throws from Pickens and Williams, a 3-pointer from Shu Kaneko and a late 3-pointer from Fatani Bloomfield. Oxnard closed the scoring on Carter Jones’ jump shot, but the outcome had long been decided.

Pickens finished with 23 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in 36 minutes. Williams added 23 points, six rebounds, one assist and one block. Hassan had 14 points and 11 rebounds, Irons contributed 10 points, nine rebounds, one assist and three blocks, and Washington chipped in 13 points, six rebounds and five assists. The Cougars shot 29 of 62 from the floor, including 10 of 24 from 3-point range, and made 30 of 44 free throws. They finished with 55 rebounds, 12 on the offensive glass, seven assists, four blocks, 16 turnovers and 27 fouls.

Oxnard was paced by Valdovinos with 16 points in 35 minutes. Derrick Martinez scored 15 points, Stacy Johnson had 12 points and three rebounds, Wydell James added eight points and seven rebounds, and Carter Jones grabbed 10 rebounds to go with seven points and two blocks. The Condors shot 16 of 62 overall, 6 of 33 from beyond the arc and 31 of 43 at the free throw line. They had 37 rebounds, including seven offensive boards, nine assists, two blocks, 16 turnovers and 25 fouls.

Canyons scored 98 points on 87 possessions for an offensive rating of 112.8. Oxnard scored 69 points on 91 possessions for an offensive rating of 75.5. Canyons held a 55-37 rebounding advantage and made 30 of 44 free throws, while Oxnard made 31 of 43. Oxnard tried to climb back midway through the second quarter, cutting the deficit to 75-55 behind Johnson and Martinez, but Canyons answered and pulled away again. Canyons led by as many as 33 points and never let the Condors closer than 20 after the opening period. Canyons improved to 2-0, while Oxnard fell to 1-1.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Canyons 67, Oxnard 60. Its ELO system gave Canyons a 64 percent probability to win before the game.