SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The gravity of the moment didn't faze Isaac Davis (SR/Valencia, CA), as the veteran guard hit a fallaway jumper with 5.9 seconds left to lift the Vanguard men's basketball team to a hard fought 76-75 victory over Westmont on Thursday at Murchison Gymnasium.
With neither team leading by more than two points over the final four minutes and eight seconds – and every possession a vital one – Davis stepped up in the clutch as he wiggled his way into the lane, got separation and hit a floater to put the Lions up by one.
Westmont called timeout, and on the ensuing inbounds play, the Lions smartly trapped near the sideline. With nowhere to go, the Warriors were forced to burn another timeout as well as a couple of seconds off the clock.
Once play resumed, Cly Griffith Jr. got a good look from in close but his attempt clanged off the rim and the Lions walked away with their third conference win by three points or less.
The Lions snapped a three-game losing streak in improving to 16-10 overall and 8-7 in the Golden State Athletic Conference. The Warriors dipped to 14-11 and 4-11 in conference action.
Vanguard swept Westmont in the season series for the first time since 2014.
The hero moniker also applied to forward Garrett White (SR/Post Falls, ID). The team's leading scorer, White notched a season-high tying and game-high 26 points. He scored 14 of those points in the second half as the two teams contended with 15 lead changes alone over the final 20 minutes.
It was White's sixth 20-point performance of the season as he shot 10-of-21 from the field and canned four three-pointers.
Davis turned in a brilliant all-around game with nine points, a season-best nine rebounds and six assists.
Masie Mohammadi (SR/San Carlos, CA), Phillip Willis (JR/San Diego, CA) and James Moore (SR/Talco, TX) accounted for 29 points total, shooting a combined 12-of-17 from the floor. They also combined for five threes as Vanguard shot 45.5 percent from distance, making 10-of-22 overall.
Westmont made a bid to win the game on the strength of second chance points. The Warriors outscored the Lions 15-7 in the category and made things difficult with an array of putbacks, especially in the second half.
Jared Brown finished with a team-high 20 points for the Warriors.
What Happened?: Vanguard's mettle was tested the entire 40 minutes. The Lions fell behind by seven, 21-14, as Nate Meithof scored seven points early for the Warriors.
Vanguard roared back with a 13-2 run to wrest the lead away and go up 27-23. White scored seven straight points on the tail end of the run.
The two teams went back and forth until a three from Willis provided VU with a 34-32 advantage. Jared Brown tied the game on a layup.
Jordan Caruso (JR/New York, NY) and Meithof traded buckets as both teams went into the break tied at 36-36.
Lead changes ensued in the second half as the biggest lead by either team was five. Westmont took a 73-68 lead on a Brown triple with 4:31 remaining.
The Lions weaponized the three ball in response as Willis sank one with 4:08 to go, followed by White's trey with 2:48 on the clock. White's bucket put VU up 74-73.
Jalen Townsell converted a pair of free throws as the Warriors retook the lead at 75-74.
Both squads then buckled down defensively as no one scored over the next two minutes. White had a couple of solid looks from three but could not convert.
Willis made a crucial steal on Meithof with 1:21 to go, doing his best impression of an impenetrable wall as Meithof struggled to get his shot off.
However, the Lions still trailed by one with 15 seconds left, and had to foul three straight times to get Westmont into the single bonus. Fortunately, Brown stepped up to the line and missed the front end of a one-on-one.
Davis snagged the rebound and called timeout, setting up the opportunity for his heroics.
Why Is It Important?: Much needed win as the Lions entered tonight's game on the Central Coast having lost four of their last five. VU also took care of the ball with just 11 turnovers. The team is 7-1 this year when they commit 11 turnovers or less.
What Was Said?: "Winning at Westmont is one of the hardest things to do in the GSAC. They have some great talent and they score the ball so well," said Head Coach Rhett Soliday. "I thought we had a lot of good possessions defensively that still ended with Westmont hitting a big shot. Our guys never wavered though. They hung in there tough, we got just enough stops and Isaac made a huge play late hitting the game winner. It's so nice having Garrett White back to being himself and I thought Phillip Willis' defense on Meithof in the second half was huge. What an awesome team win, but we've got to turn around and play a tough and hungry Master's team on Saturday, another tough place to win."
What's Next?: The Lions have another big road game on Saturday against The Master's. Tip time is 7:30 p.m.
