SANTA CLARITA, Calif. – Vanguard shot 58 percent from the floor and Garrett White (SR/Post Falls, ID) scored 22 points in 24 minutes as the men's basketball team recorded an impressive 84-62 road victory against The Master's on Saturday at the MacArthur Center.
It was the second-best shooting performance in terms of field goal percentage this season for the Lions – and their best against a conference opponent.
Vanguard also held the Mustangs to 18.2 percent shooting from distance. The Master's made just 4-of-22 overall.
White put on a shooting clinic, hitting 9-of-15 from the field including a perfect 4-of-4 on three-pointers. He added five rebounds, two assists and two steals.
James Moore (SR/Talco, TX) shot 6-of-7 from the floor for 12 points. He had five rebounds and two steals.
Masie Mohammadi (SR/San Carlos, CA) was the third Lion in double figures with 10 points. White and Mohammadi accounted for VU's damage from distance, as Mohammadi had three triples in addition to White's four.
Fourteen Lions got into the game with 11 getting into the scoring column.
VU improved to 17-10 overall and 9-7 in the Golden State Athletic Conference. The Lions finished 6-3 in conference road games, with one of those defeats coming by forfeit due to COVID-19 protocols. The Master's fell to 17-9 and 7-9 in conference play.
What Happened?: The game was tight for the first 10 minutes before the Lions gained separation and maintained that comfortable margin for the remainder.
The teams were tied 8-8 when Vanguard used a 12-0 blitz to take control. The VU bench scored 10 of the 12 points during the run, getting contributions from Jordan Caruso (JR/New York, NY), Christian Wilson (SR/Temecula, CA), Andre Allen (SR/Los Angeles, CA) and Nico Dasca (JR/Costa Mesa, CA).
The starters returned and scored 11 straight points, turning a 22-14 lead into a 33-14 edge with 3:14 to go in the first half. Moore ended the run with a layup.
The Lions settled for a 41-23 lead at the break, shooting 57.7 percent overall compared to 35.7 percent for The Master's. The Mustangs went 0-for-11 from three in the first half.
Vanguard exerted its will immediately to begin the second half as White amassed seven of his team's first nine points. His three with 16:54 to go gave the Lions a 50-25 lead.
White drained another three at the 16:04 mark as Vanguard extended its lead to 56-27. Vanguard played tough defense, forcing the Mustangs to miss eight of their first 10 shots of the second half.
VU's lead reached 30 on another White bucket, 63-33, with 11:51 to go.
The team's biggest lead was 34 at 79-45 as Phillip Willis (JR/San Diego, CA) threw down a jam.
The Lions emptied their bench as The Master's closed the deficit a bit, but the Lions coasted to the 22-point victory.
Why Is It Important?: Vanguard has locked up at least the No. 5 seed in the upcoming GSAC Tournament. OUAZ is one-half game ahead of the Lions for the No. 4 seed.
What Was Said?: "Winning at Master's is so hard to do. I'm proud of our guys for their focus and togetherness tonight," said Head Coach Rhett Soliday. "We had nine different guys score in the first half and for the game we had nine different guys record at least one assist. Those are stats we like to see because it means we are really playing the right way offensively, and the result is usually that our shooters make more shots because of our pace and our spacing. Garrett and Masie combining to go seven for nine from three tonight – what's ironic about that is that our best offensive games have always come as a result of our group being completely sold out to getting stops at the defensive end. We are starting to take big steps defensively at the right time."
What's Next?: The Lions return home for their final two games in The Pit, hosting San Diego Christian on Thursday, February 17 at 7:30 p.m. Senior Night is scheduled for Saturday, February 19 against Hope International, with tip time at 7:30 p.m.
