SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Melissa Akullu (JR/Kampala, Uganda) posted her fifth double-double of the season, finishing with a season-high 26 points and 12 rebounds as the Vanguard women's basketball team rolled to a 73-61 triumph against Southeastern (Fla.) on Friday.
The 14th-ranked Lions emerged victorious in their lone game at the Westmont Holiday Classic. The tournament opener on Thursday against Health Sciences and Pharmacy was canceled due to the opponent's travel issues.
Akullu posted her third 20-point game of the season and made 12-of-15 floor shots.
Lauren Baumgartner (SR/Meridian, ID) knocked down four three-pointers in adding 14 points to go along with five rebounds and two assists. Halle Si'i (FR/Long Beach, CA) had a solid all-around game with 13 points, eight assists and six rebounds.
Airiana Madanski (JR/Gilbert, AZ) contributed nine points off the bench as she hit three triples.
The Lions committed a season-low seven turnovers and enjoyed a 36-24 advantage in points in the paint.
VU shot 45.6 (31-of-68) percent from the floor. Southeastern shot 46.2 (24-of-52) percent but took 16 less field goal attempts. The Lions had 14 offensive rebounds which helped lead to 12 second chance points.
Gabby Suarez and Kiki Britzmann had 21 and 19 points for the Fire, respectively. The duo shot a combined 15-of-20 from the field, while the rest of the team was just 9-of-32.
Vanguard improved to 9-3 on the season. Southeastern fell to 6-9.
What Happened?: A strong second quarter helped the Lions build a nine-point halftime lead. The Lions were locked in a back-and-forth battle as the two teams were tied 8-8 at the midpoint of the first period.
Britzmann's layup put the Fire up 10-8 – their final lead of the game – as Vanguard responded with 10 straight points. Baumgartner started the run with a three and Akullu polished it off with a layup as the Lions led 18-10 with 1:56 to go.
The Fire answered with back-to-back three-pointers by Suarez to close the gap to 18-16 at the end of the first quarter.
The Lions made a late push in the second quarter to provide some cushion at the halftime break. The Fire missed four of their last five shots, while the Lions capitalized with an 11-4 run to turn a two-point game into a 38-29 halftime lead.
Si'i scored seven points in the second stanza to aid the Lion cause. Her triple with one second left gave VU momentum going into intermission.
Hitting four of their first five shots to open the third quarter, the Lions widened the lead to 48-32 as Baumgartner and Jaryn Madsen (FR/Warden, WA) threes created their biggest lead.
The Fire fought back to pull within 53-44 on a Brtizmann three-point play with 2:24 remaining, but another late Si'i bucket closed the third with VU leading 59-49.
VU kept the Fire from making a run although Southeastern made 5-of-10 shots in the final period.
The Lions created a 15-point margin on Akullu's layup with 5:36 remaining. Baumgartner followed with her fourth three of the game a little over a minute later as VU matched its biggest lead at 16, 73-57.
The Lions settled for the 12-point victory.
Why Is It Important?: The Lions finished 5-1 across four tournaments to close out the 2022 portion of the schedule. VU also made nine threes for the third time in the last four contests.
What Was Said?: "Our girls stepped up today against a really good team in Southeastern," said Assistant Coach Sierra Vaglica. "Our energy was fantastic the whole game. We still have a lot to work on but I was really proud of how we battled. Our inside presence was huge for us and our guards were aggressive."
What's Next?: The Lions return to Golden State Athletic Conference action on Thursday, January 5 against OUAZ at Orange Coast College. Tip time is 5:30 p.m. The VU men will follow at 7:30 p.m.
