COSTA MESA, Calif. – Vanguard erupted for 60 points in the second half, turning a seven-point halftime deficit into a 98-87 victory over La Sierra in a non-conference matinee at The Pit on Thursday.
Garrett White (SR/Post Falls, ID) led a quintet of Lions in double figures with a season-best 26 points. The forward made 10 of his 16 floor shots, including a career-high tying five three-pointers.
Isaac Davis (SR/Valencia, CA) chipped in 17 points while adding seven assists, three rebounds and three steals. Phillip Willis (JR/San Diego, CA) contributed 13 points, five rebounds and four steals.
In his first career start, Nico Dasca (JR/Costa Mesa, CA) knocked down three triples en route to 13 points. James Moore (SR/Talco, TX) also reached double figures with 12 points off the bench on 5-of-5 shooting.
The Lions shot 62.5 percent (20-of-32) in the second half to allow them to climb out of a 45-38 halftime hole. VU also took full advantage of 13 La Sierra turnovers, turning them into 26 points.
Vanguard also canned double-digit threes for the fourth time in the last five games, finishing 12-of-27 overall at 44.4 percent. The Lions were also solid at the free throw line as they made 20-of-25 (80.0%).
Uriel Lejtman scored a team-high 25 points for the Golden Eagles. La Sierra shot 54.1 percent (33-of-61) for the game but only made 7-of-19 from distance.
What Happened?: The Lions were without two of their main contributors in Masie Mohammadi (SR/San Carlos, CA) and Jordan Caruso (JR/New York, NY). White hit a couple of threes as the two teams were tied 14-14 at the 12:11 mark. La Sierra went on a 7-0 run to take a 23-16 lead with 9:42 left in the first half, but a pair of Dasca free throws and another White bomb cut the deficit to two.
Davis tied the game at 25-25, but the Golden Eagles scored 11 of the next 15 points to reopen a seven-point lead at 36-29 with Lejtman getting free for a layup.
Lejtman ended up scoring nine of La Sierra's final 11 points in the half, his jumper giving the Golden Eagles a 45-35 advantage with 1:13 to go. Willis countered with a three to bring the Lions within 45-38 at intermission.
The second half began with a Deandro Worrell layup as La Sierra took a 47-38 lead. However, the reenergized Lions pressured the Golden Eagles into five turnovers over a three-minute span, which ignited a 17-4 run. Willis picked up three steals, one leading to a dunk that gave Vanguard its first lead (53-51) since making the first shot of the game. White followed with a layup for a 55-51 VU advantage.
The Lions extended their edge to as many as nine points, 64-55, as Davis knocked down a jumper with 12:53 remaining.
However, the Golden Eagles responded with eight of the next nine points to close within 65-63 as Lejtman made one of two free throws. Lejtman struck again for another bucket to knot the game at 67-67.
Lejtman tied the game again at 72-72 on another three, his third on the game. But the Lions went on a 10-2 run to create some distance as Moore's free throw made it 82-74 with 4:45 to go.
La Sierra crept within three at 82-79 on a Worrell layup, but Davis set up White for a key three that put Vanguard up 85-79. Moore and White hit consecutive layups for an 89-81 lead with 1:51 to play, and Davis hit six consecutive free throw attempts to hold off the Golden Eagles.
Vanguard stepped up its defense at the end as La Sierra missed seven of its last 10 shots.
Why Is It Important?: The Lions kept the momentum going after a 12-day hiatus which began after an emotional victory over No. 3-ranked Talladega. Vanguard overcome a slow start and responded with its highest scoring half of the season with the 60-point second half outburst.
What Was Said?: "La Sierra did a great job in the first half of keeping the pace high and attacking us in transition," said Head Coach Rhett Soliday. "We were slow to matchup and had some tough turnovers that led to their lead. I was proud of the way the guys came back and fought in the second half. I thought Dom (St. Leon) and Phil had some game-changing plays on defense and Isaac helped create some great opportunities for us in the second half. Garrett and James were the recipients of some of those plays and they did a tremendous job of finishing with a make. Being down a couple of guys, it always takes different guys stepping up and our team is ready to do that each night."
What's Next?: The Lions are right back at it with a New Year's Eve game against Embry-Riddle. Tip-off is at 2:00 p.m. in The Pit.
