CHANDLER, Ariz. – The second matchup for Vanguard men's basketball at the Cactus Classic pitted the Lions against the Carroll College Fighting Saints out of Montana. The first half was mostly owned by the Lions but Carroll would turn in a stellar performance on each side of the halftime break to delete the VU lead and take one of its own. However, Vanguard remained focused and clawed back into the lead, putting the Fighting Saints away late to win 78-72. VU goes to 7-5 overall, dropping Carroll to 7-6.
What Happened?
Garrett White (SR/Post Falls, ID) had the first bucket of the game on a short jumper and he would also knock down the first VU triple of the contest two possessions later, putting the Lions up 5-4. Isaac Davis (SR/Valencia, CA) made the next five points for the Blue and Gold to put the team ahead 10-6, as he deposited a mid-range jumper and a three. Both teams then went cold for about six minutes, combining for seven points, but Phillip Willis (SR/San Diego, CA) nailed a deep three to jump-start the Vanguard offense with 9:38 left in the half. Ahead 17-11, the Lions made a 14-6 run to give themselves a comfortable 31-17 lead. Jackson Larsen (JR/El Cajon, CA) contributed an assist and five points to the streak, with Davis and White putting in the rest. The lead remained around 14 points as the half moved along, with Bryson Metz (FR/Vancouver, WA) and Mitchell Prevost (JR/Tuolumne, CA) answering conversions from Carroll. But the Fighting Saints found a good offensive flow to end the half, making an 11-5 run over the final five minutes to cut the gap to a 36-30 Vanguard lead at the break.
White had nine points in the first half to lead the Lions. Vanguard shot 63.6% from the field in the first half, including going 50% (3-6) from downtown. Carroll was 38.9% from the field in the first half and did not attempt a free throw.
White would make a layup on a nice feed from Willis to put VU on the scoreboard first in the second half, but Carroll was also still in form, as the Fighting Saints closed to within one at 40-39 just three minutes into the period. A layup for White and another for Pape Momar Cisse (SO/Dakar, Senegal) in his debut as a Lion kept the Blue and Gold ahead by one. However, Carroll tied the contest at 44-all on their next possession and grabbed a lead for the first time at the 14:17 mark.
Carroll went ahead by four points but Vanguard closed down the gap with a three from White, with Kody Knox (SR/Porter Ranch, CA) making a sweet spin move on a fast break to put VU ahead 51-50. Carroll would continue to hang around, tying the game at 59-all with 6:20 left on the clock. After a free throw from White put the Lions ahead again, Metz would make a contested layup while getting fouled with 5:36 to go. Metz made his bonus shot, as VU snagged a 63-59 edge. Despite a three from the Fighting Saints the next time down the court, Vanguard had waved away the fog of earlier in the half and set about playing as they did to open the contest. VU outscored Carroll 13-7 over the next four minutes, with White, Davis, and Willis doing most of the damage. A couple of late shots for the Fighting Saints made the gap a little closer but Vanguard was ahead at the final buzzer, winning 78-72. VU made five of seven free throws over the final five minutes of action.
Vanguard shot 59.3% in the second half to notch a 61.2% mark for the game. VU was outhustled under the basket, as Carroll had a 35-19 edge in rebounds. Despite that, Carroll only shot 47.8% from the floor for the game. The Fighting Saints also did not have many chances from the free throw line, going 2-5 for the game. The Lions narrowly won the turnover battle 13-14.
White once again led the Lions with 23 points and was the only Lion to shoot the ball more than seven times (9-for-19). Davis was second with 16 points, Larsen had 13, and Willis had 10. Davis led the team with five assists and he and Willis each had four rebounds to pace the lineup.
Why is it Important? This is the first win over Carroll since the first two meetings in 2003 and 2006, with the Fighting Saints winning in 2009 and 2017. It is also the second time in the matchup history that the teams have been separated by six points.
What was Said? "Carroll College is an elite program and has been consistently over the last decade for a reason," said Head Coach Rhett Soliday. "They are tough, work well together, and are so well coached. To beat good teams you have to catch some breaks and make some opportunities for yourself, and both happened for us today to get it done. Carroll was relentless on the glass today and that kept them in the game in the first half. Then in the second half, they came out and started hitting shots, putting a lot of pressure on us to respond. Our guys showed tremendous poise and resilience to stick with our stuff and execute to score down the stretch and grind out just enough stops to get the result. This is a great team win heading into the Christmas break."
What's Next? The Lions can enjoy Christmas before trucking up to Westmont on December 29 for a matchup with the University of British Columbia at 2:30 p.m.
