COSTA MESA, Calif. - The Vanguard Lions (6-3, 2-2) dropped game one of a three-game series against Hope International (1-0, 1-0) on Friday evening by a score of 82-77. It was an impressive season debut for the Royals as four of their five starters scored in double figures, while the team put up shooting splits of 50/31/84.
What Happened? Neither side could create an advantage early on as Aziz Seck (SR/Dakar, Senegal) and Garrett White (JR/Post Falls, ID) paced things with 10 of the first 20 points scored by the home squad. Down 22-21, the Royals would go on a 9-1 run to push their lead to seven with 5:52 left in the first half. Foul trouble would slow Hope International as the Lions entered the bonus early on. Dominic St. Leon (JR/McKinney, TX) and Nico Dasca (SO/Costa Mesa, CA) would knock down a handful of free-throws and St. Leon would hit a shot from beyond the arc to keep the Lions within range as they went into the half down 40-45.
The Royals would push their lead to 11 out of the break, but Phillip Willis (SO/San Diego, CA) would score five straight points for the Pride to bring the deficit back down to a manageable margin. James Moore (SR/Talco, TX) and Seck would start to knock down some good looks inside, but the pesky Royals continued to break down the Lions' defense off the dribble and score at the rim. Although the home team would cut the deficit to one multiple times, their last lead had come at the 8:36 mark in the first half.
With a minute on the clock, Luke Alviar would hit a clutch three to put his team up 80-74, but Phillip Willis would immediately counter with a three of his own on the other end with 39 seconds on the clock. The Royals would dribble out the clock as low as it could go and Brandhon Thomas would hit a floater falling away from the baseline with 10 seconds on the clock for the dagger as the Royals would come away with the 82-77 win.
Why It's Important? With the loss, the Lions' all-time record fell to 54-20 against the Royals. It was an impressive season debut for the Royals as four of their five starters scored in double figures, while the team put up shooting splits of 50/31/84.
Top Performers: Aziz Seck would lead the Pride with 14 points, eight rebounds, and a steal, while Phillip Willis recorded 12 points on 5-9 shooting. Masie Mohammadi (JR/San Carlos, CA) also reached double figures as he added 11 points, five rebounds, and three assists. As a whole, the team shot 42% from the field, 31% from three, and 70% from the free-throw line.
What They Said: "Credit Hope for bringing a ton of fight to the game. We weren't sure what to expect without a game under their belt, but Hope has a really good first five and they outplayed us in every facet of the game," said Head Coach Rhett Soliday. "We have to be smarter, more together, and commit to execution if we expect to have a chance to beat Hope. We look forward to Thursday and getting another opportunity to compete."
What's Next: The Lions head up to Fullerton, California for the second game of the series on Thursday, February 18th at 6:00 p.m.
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