SAN MARCOS, Calif. – James Moore (SR/Talco, TX) knocked down a trio of crucial three-pointers in the second overtime period to provide the lift Vanguard sorely needed in a 103-95 triumph at Saint Katherine on Tuesday at the USK Sports Complex.
Moore established career-highs with 22 points and four three-pointers while tying his personal-best with eight made field goals. He finished 8-of-12 from the field and 4-of-5 from distance as the Lions climbed into the win column for the first time this season. Moore also played with four fouls over the game's final 16 minutes and 24 seconds.
Vanguard moved to 1-2 on the year while the Firebirds dropped to 2-1.
Garrett White (SR/Post Falls, ID) contributed a team-high 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting, adding six rebounds, a block and a steal. Jordan Caruso (JR/New York, NY) was also instrumental in the win after scoring 11 of his 16 points during the two overtimes. Point guard Isaac Davis (SR/Valencia, CA) handed out nine assists to go along with 15 points.
The Lions hit a season-high 12 threes on 24 attempts and shot 50.7 (38-of-75) percent for the game overall. VU made 5-of-6 free throws over the final 30 seconds to hold the Firebirds at bay and finished the game shooting 78.9 (15-of-19) percent from the foul line.
Saint Katherine's was led by Tavon Tarpley, who had a game-high 27 points.
What Happened?: Neither team led by more than four points throughout the second half and the first overtime in a very tightly played game. The lead changed hands 10 times alone in the second half.
Vanguard showed its grit down the stretch to get the game into overtime. Trailing 67-63, Moore made a pair of free throws and a layup to knot the score at 67 apiece. Tarpley converted two free throws with 2:56 to go for a 69-67 Saint Katherine's lead.
Moore responded with a layup to retie the score at 69-69, but Bryan Baptiste got open underneath for a bucket to hand the Firebirds a 71-69 advantage. Cesar Meza made one-of-two free throws to push the lead to three, but Davis drained a clutch three – one of his three triples on the night – to even things at 72-72. Davis, who was fouled in the act of shooting, missed the free throw and the opportunity for a four-point play.
Jacob Durham got loose for a layup as the Firebirds went back up 74-72 with 41 seconds remaining as VU head coach Rhett Soliday called timeout. The Lions drew up a play for White, who promptly made a layup to tie the score at 74-74.
The Firebirds had two chances to win the game in the waning seconds but missed layups by Meza and Kody Clouet gave Vanguard's Phillip Willis (JR/San Diego, CA) an opportunity for a heave at the buzzer, but it missed and the game went into overtime.
Each team scored nine points in the first overtime period. Caruso hit one-of-two free throws to put VU up 83-81 with 15 seconds left. The Lions forced Jacob Durham to miss but he collected his own rebound and passed to Clouet, who hit the game-tying jumper to send the game into a second extra session.
After Caruso knocked down consecutive layups to give the Lions an 87-83 lead, Bryan Baptiste sprinted in for a layup to halve the deficit.
That's when Moore decided enough was enough. His three with 3:24 to go stretched VU's advantage to 90-85. The Firebirds wouldn't go away as Baptiste's trey pulled them back within two, 90-88. But Moore canned two more threes with 2:11 and 1:30 to go to increase VU's edge to 96-89.
Caruso made a key basket with 45 ticks remaining for a 98-91 Lion lead, and VU held off any comeback by making free throws down the stretch.
Why Is It Important?: The Lions hadn't played in a game that went to double overtime since Feb. 21, 2019, when they defeated Hope International in triple overtime, 87-82. A balanced scoring effort saw six Lions score in double figures. In addition to White, Moore, Caruso and Davis in double-digits, Masie Mohammadi (SR/San Carlos, CA) and Willis chipped in with 10 points each.
What Was Said?: "Saint Katherine is a gritty, tough-minded, and talented team. They know who they are and what they do well and they are consistently well-coached and together," said Soliday. "It took everything we had tonight to get the win and some special performances late to close it. We made our free throws and hit big shots down the stretch, and I was really happy with our balance tonight, having 6 guys in double-figures scoring. We have so much we can continue to improve on, but it always feels better to learn from a win, and I am thrilled for the guys that we got one. They deserve it."
What's Next?: Vanguard returns home on Saturday, Nov. 13 to take on Northern New Mexico for a 5:30 p.m. tip.
