ROCKLIN, Calif. – The Vanguard men's basketball team aimed to sweep the season series from William Jessup, but the sixth-ranked Warriors had other ideas in handing the Lions a 22-point loss on Saturday.
The 106-84 defeat to close out this weekend roadtrip to northern California was a pointed response from William Jessup, which lost to Vanguard by a score of 86-73 back on November 18 at The Pit. Still, Vanguard is one of just two teams this season to defeat the Warriors (23-2, 11-2).
Vanguard fell to 15-8 and 7-5 in the Golden State Athletic Conference.
The Lions gave up 100 points in a game for the first time since February 8, 2011, a 101-95 loss in triple overtime to Westmont.
Myles Corey and Cashemin Williams accounted for 48 points to lead the Warriors. Corey hit five three-point buckets en route to 26 points. The Warriors shot a blistering 63.0 percent in the second half to widen a 17-point halftime bulge to as many as 30 points before finally removing their starters with a little under two minutes to play.
James Moore (SR/Talco, TX) led Vanguard with 19 points and a game-high nine rebounds in 21 minutes. He shot 7-of-8 from the floor and hit all four free throw attempts.
Andre Allen (SR/Los Angeles, CA) scored 12 points and Jordan Caruso (JR/New York, NY) 11 to round out the list of Lion double-figure scorers.
After missing five straight games, Garrett White (SR/Post Falls, ID) returned to the court and provided VU with eight points and two rebounds in 14 reserve minutes.
What Happened?: The Lions broke out to an early 7-2 lead. They still held a one-point edge at 10-9 on Moore's three-pointer with 15:59 left in the first half. Myles Corey's three with 14:50 to go put William Jessup in front 13-10, a lead it would not relinquish.
The game remained within single digits until William Jessup put forth a push to end the first half. Up by nine, the Warriors received back-to-back layups from Charlie Garrison to lead 41-28.
Jordan Adams got fouled on a three-point attempt and converted all three free throws to put WJU ahead 50-35 with 1:31 on the clock. The Warriors settled for a 52-35 lead at the break.
The second half did not get any easier for the Lions. WJU's lead reached 22 at 64-42 as Williams converted a three-point play with 13 minutes remaining.
Just over three minutes later, the Lions found themselves down by 30, 80-50, on another Garrison layup.
The Lions did outscore WJU 20-10 to chisel away at the deficit, trailing 92-72 on Allen's dunk with 4:08 to go.
But the Lions never seriously threatened as the 106 points allowed is the most by the program in 20 years. San Diego Christian defeated VU 111-89 on January 18, 2002.
Why Is It Important?: Despite the loss, the Lions finished the roadtrip 1-1 after defeating Menlo by three on Thursday. Vanguard remained within the top four of the GSAC and finishes up league play with four of its final six games at The Pit.
What Was Said?: "Credit Jessup for proving why they are winning the conference at this point," said Head Coach Rhett Soliday. "They came out and were tough, aggressive and relentless. We had a solid start to the game but didn't find a way to get enough stops as the first half continued to position ourselves to win on the road. Jessup's two guards are as good as we'll see and their supporting cast is so solid. We will have to bounce back quickly as this upcoming week is huge for our season."
What's Next?: Vanguard hosts No. 8 Arizona Christian on Thursday, February 3 at 7:30 p.m.
