COSTA MESA – Isaac Davis (SR/Valencia, CA) scored a career-high 27 points to lead the Vanguard men's basketball team to an impressive 86-66 victory over Saint Katherine in Wednesday's season opener at Orange Coast College.
Garrett White (SR/Post Falls, ID) chipped in 21 points and Phillip Willis (SR/San Diego, CA) added 16. The three seniors combined for 64 of the team's 86 points, while the Lions as a whole shot 56.7 (38-of-67) percent from the field.
Four VU newcomers accounted for the remaining 22 points, with six apiece coming from Jackson Larsen (JR/El Cajon, CA), Preston Sims (JR/Orange, CA) and Bernard Dzesi (FR/Los Angeles, CA). Bryson Metz (FR/Vancouver, WA) added four points to go along with two steals and an assist in 26 minutes.
Davis made 12-of-18 shots on a wide variety of layups and jumpers. White knocked down eight of his 16 field goal attempts and hit 2-of-4 from three-point range. Willis had a solid all-around game, hitting 8-of-13 from the field in addition to three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Saint Katherine's was led by 15 points off the bench from Bryan Baptiste. The Firebirds shot 47.3 (26-of-55) percent overall but managed to hit just 31.6 (6-of-19) percent from distance.
VU was 8-of-8 at the foul line. The Lions also took excellent care of the ball with just six turnovers. The Lions forced Saint Katherine to commit 17 turnovers, including 10 in the second half. VU converted those 17 turnovers into 30 points.
What Happened?: It was a back-and-forth battle for most of the first half. White tied the score at 19-19 on a three-point bucket and Willis followed with a jumper to knot the score again at 21-all.
The Firebirds took a 30-23 lead as JD Lloyd-Watson scored nine straight points in a span of one minute and 40 seconds, capping off a 9-2 run with a free throw at the 6:42 mark.
The Lions got six straight points from their bench – four from Larsen and two from Dzesi to cut the deficit to 33-29 with 4:52 left in the half.
VU found its offensive rhythm as a 14-3 run turned a six-point deficit into a 41-36 lead as Dzesi hit a layup with 1:28 remaining. Metz and Saint Katherine's Javier Gallardo traded baskets as VU went into halftime leading 43-41.
The second half remained close as VU clung to a 51-48 lead following White's layup. Davis and Dzesi also got inside for layups as VU opened up a seven-point advantage at the 13:35 mark.
Saint Katherine got within two at 55-53 with 12:19 remaining, but saw its offense stall as VU held the Firebirds to just 13 points the remainder of the game. VU forced seven Firebird turnovers over the final 12 minutes.
VU discovered its first double-digit lead at 68-57 following a Metz layup. Two free throws from White polished off a 21-7 burst as VU was comfortably ahead, 76-60, with 5:20 to go.
A Willis jam, followed by consecutive jumpers from Davis and White put the game away with VU leading 82-64 with 2:04 remaining.
Davis scored 18 of his 27 points in the second half on 9-of-12 shooting.
Why Is It Important?: The Lions defeated last year's champion from the Cal-Pac Conference as they prepare to play their next four on the road, with two of those exhibitions.
What Was Said?: "I'm proud of the focus and effort our group brought tonight," said Head Coach Rhett Soliday. "We have a lot of guys that are playing their first game in a Lions uniform and our veteran players did a great job of setting the tone for what Lions basketball looks like. Any time Isaac, Phil and Garrett are all scoring the ball on the same night; we will be tough to beat. We are looking forward to the next challenge as we go on the road to a really good Concordia team."
What's Next?: VU travels to Concordia University Irvine for an exhibition this Saturday at 5:00 p.m.
