SAN MARCOS, Calif. - The Lions (3-1) men's basketball team traveled down to the University of Saint Katherine (3-3) for a matinee affair. Vanguard had played in the same gym less than five days earlier and lost due to foul trouble. Today, the exacted revenge - even if it took them an overtime period to capture the 72-69 victory.
What Happened? The contest was tight throughout as Vanguard trailed by a single point at the end of the first 20 minutes of play and then outscored USK 34-33 in the second half to force an extra period. No bucket was bigger than the Phillip Willis (SO/San Diego, CA) sinking one at the end of 40 minutes of play. The Pride escaped with a 13-10 edge in the bonus five minutes. For the game, the Lions tallied nine more points from behind the arc and their highly efficient 16 of 17 from the charity stripe were big reasons VU was victorious.
Why It Matters? The Blue and Gold is in the midst of a four-game series against the same opponent, unheard of during normal seasons but becoming common place as teams continue to navigate the COVID protocols of individual states and regions. Vanguard is leading the series so far two games to one, with another grudge match coming up later in the week. The Pride is 4-1 all-time against USK and this is their first overtime victory since February 2020.
Notable Performances: Starting point guard Isaac Davis (JR/Valencia, CA) had his most impressive outing in a Lions uniform with 12 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists. Garrett White (JR/Post Falls, ID) shot 50% from the floor and behind the arc to score a team high 16 points. Nico Dasca (SO/Costa Mesa, CA) came off the bench to pour in 13 points and grab four rebounds. Willis, the man of the night, added 13 points in just under 28 minutes of game action as he battled foul trouble throughout.
What They Said: Head coach Rhett Soliday - "Our games with Saint Katherine have been really back and forth and each team takes turns delivering body shots it seems. We were in some tough spots today and our guys hung in there and battled throughout the duration of the game. I thought we had some guys really step up today and play great. Nico and Christian were phenomenal down the stretch, Isaac and Garrett did what they do and Phil's big shot at the end of regulation was obviously huge. Proud of the Lions for a road won against a really good team. No time to rest though, as we are back at it again with them Saturday."
Next Up: The Lions host the Firebirds on Saturday, February 6th at 6:00 p.m.
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