Santee, Calif. -- Men's basketball traveled down to Santee Saturday night to take on San Diego Christian in Golden State Athletic Conference play. After a stunning victory over Westmont last time out, the Lions had to avoid a trap game against the Hawks and did just that, holding SDCC to 32% shooting from the field to take a 75-48 win. VU goes to 8-4 overall and 4-1 in the GSAC, while SDCC drops to 1-10 overall and 0-5 in the GSAC.
What Happened? After the Hawks missed their first shot, James Moore (SR/Talco, TX) got the Lions on the board by dropping home a layup 30 seconds in. San Diego Christian then tied the game the next time down the court and took a lead a minute later on a layup. Things looked a little off for the Blue and Gold as the second minute of play went by, but Masie Mohammadi (SR/San Carlos, CA) then drained the first triple of the night to put VU up 5-4. Phillip Willis (JR/San Diego, CA) made his first basket soon after but the Hawks would not go away, as they nailed a three to knot the score at 7-7.
With 15:13 remaining in the first half, Garrett White (SR/Post Falls, ID) drove the lane, made a nice step in the paint, and laid the ball in off the glass to give Vanguard a 9-7 lead. After a few misses by both squads, the home side called the first timeout of the game. Right out of the break, Jordan Caruso (JR/New York, NY) drove and scored to make it 11-7. He would sink another one the next time down the hardwood as the Lions started to get some separation from the Hawks. However, SDCC made another three with 12:16 to go to cut the gap to 13-10, and there the score would stay for almost three minutes, as neither side could bounce something home.
San Diego Christian made a bucket and then a pair of free throws to take a slim 14-13 advantage but Andre Allen (SR/Los Angeles, CA) then backed in and made a close-range shot to give VU the lead again with 8:44 to go. Allen bumped the lead to 17-14 on a hook shot a minute later and from there, the gears fell into alignment for the Blue and Gold. Starting from the 6:10 mark in the first half, the Lions outscored the Hawks 17-4 to take a 34-21 lead into halftime. Vanguard shot 51.7% from the field in the first half, went 33% from deep, and made all of their free throws.
Moore once again got VU on the board first in the new half, as he powered his way down the lane to create some space beneath the hoop, finishing the play off with a layup. White then made four unanswered points to push the lead to 40-23, with Isaac Davis (SR/Valencia, CA) then going coast-to-coast to put home a lovely layup to extend the lead to 42-23. The offense continued to roll as the half moved on, with Christian Wilson (SR/Temecula, CA) making a couple of big dunks and Nico Dasca (JR/Costa Mesa, CA) converting a couple of quality shots. Jon Scherer (JR/Mission Viejo, CA), Dominic St. Leon (SR/McKinney, TX), and Jacob Brown (SO/El Dorado Hills, CA) all got in on the party as the half progressed, as Vanguard marched away with a 75-48 victory.
The Lions shot 57.7% from the floor in the contest, going 20% from downtown (the team made no threes in the second half), and converting 12 of 14 free throw attempts for an 85.7% success rate from the stripe. The Lions also won the rebound tally 45-24, with each team nabbing eight offensive boards, but VU winning the battle on the defensive glass 37-16. White led the lineup with 19 points and Moore was second with 11. Allen and Caruso each had eight and Dasca had seven. The rebounds were as spread around as the points, with Moore pacing the lineup with six, White and Willis next with five, and Caruso, Wilson, and Brown each collecting four. Davis led the way with five assists.
Why is it Important? Make it five wins in the past six games for the Lions over the Hawks and two in a row after the loss to Antelope Valley. It is also the second time the team has collected 45 boards, which is three shy of the 48 rebounds the squad had against Westcliff, which is the season-high.
What was said? "I'm really proud of the guys for bringing a great effort on the road tonight," said Head Coach Rhett Soliday. "San Diego Christian has good talent and is hard to play against at home. We had balance and had a great effort at the defensive end. We have been talking about lowering our opponent's field goal percentage by protecting the rim better, and tonight, the guys took on that challenge. We can build on this effort heading into a matchup with a top-five Talladega team."
What's Next? The Lions will have one more game before they go on Christmas break, as #5 Talladega comes to Costa Mesa for a 4:00 p.m. game on Saturday, December 18.
