COSTA MESA – The final women's basketball game in The Pit will surely be remembered fondly. In front of friends and family, Vanguard sent out its seniors in dominating fashion as the Lions defeated Hope International 69-51.
The 80-year old facility – boasting too many highlights and memories to recount – left a lasting impression on the hearts and minds of Lion fans on this night. While The Pit will be torn down this spring and replaced by a sparkling new Lions Arena sometime in 2024, everyone will remember how this 2021-22 edition of Lions dismantled the Royals for 40 minutes.
The night started with a stirring rendition of the national anthem by guard Alyssa Salgado (JR/Whittier, CA) that drew a standing ovation from the Lion crowd.
It ended with VU's third straight win and momentum heading into next week's Golden State Athletic Conference Tournament in Santa Clarita, hosted by The Master's. Over the last two weeks, Vanguard has defeated a 26-win team and a 25-win team in the sixth-ranked Mustangs and the Royals, a team receiving votes in the NAIA poll.
In between, it was a defensive clinic for VU, which held Hope International to 27.5 (19-of-69) percent shooting, including 4-of-24 from three-point range.
Vanguard put an exclamation point on the evening, holding the Royals to 0-of-18 shooting in the second quarter and outscoring its crosstown opponent 21-2.
There was also an emotional moment as Michaella Elad (SR/Ontario, CA) and Maiya Bradford (JR/Brownsville, TN) were announced in the starting lineup. The Lions purposely had a 30-second shot clock violation so the two could be substituted. Elad, the VU All-American forward, suffered a season-ending injury in the fourth game of the season.
Melissa Akullu (SO/Kampala, Uganda) posted her sixth straight double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds. It was her 14th double-double, eighth 20-point game and 15th contest with 10 or more rebounds this season.
Gabriela Rosas (SR/Chihuahua, Mexico), one of the players honored on Senior Night, finished with 20 points and eight rebounds in 38 minutes. She hit 4-of-7 from three-point range.
Estefania Giner (JR/Chihuahua, Mexico) added 12 points and a pair of steals, while Lauren Baumgartner (JR/Meridian, ID) flirted with a triple-double. The point guard contributed eight points, seven rebounds and a career-high 12 assists playing all 40 minutes.
The Lions shot 49.1 percent (26-of-53) from the field and drained 10 threes in 22 attempts (45.5%). VU is 9-0 this season when hitting eight or more threes in a game.
Shiane Talley led the Royals with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
What Happened?: The two teams had an evenly played first quarter with HIU taking a 16-15 lead. There were seven lead changes in the quarter, the final one on Jeanette Fine's layup.
Alexa Silva (FR/Lemoore, CA) buried a three-pointer 10 seconds into the second quarter to put Vanguard up 18-16, and the Lions never relinquished the lead after that.
The Royals went without a field goal during the entire 10-minute segment. They scored just two points on free throws by Fine and Shailissa Jarrett.
Akullu scored seven straight points to open up a 25-17 advantage, and Rosas scored nine of her team's final 11 points as VU took a sizable 36-18 lead into intermission.
The lead ballooned to 20, 44-24, on Baumgartner's three with 5:38 to go in the third period. Rosas converted an incredible traditional three-point play with four seconds remaining, jumping to receive a Giner pass and tossing it into the basket while getting fouled.
VU led 56-33 after three quarters.
The lead never dipped below 17 in the fourth quarter as Akullu and Baumgartner combined for 11 of VU's 13 points. The Royals shot just 1-of-8 from three as the Lions never let them threaten.
Why Is It Important?: Vanguard has limited opponents to 56.5 points in its last four wins, a positive sign heading into the GSAC Tournament.
What Was Said?: "So proud of my team tonight," said Head Coach Russ Davis. "They played hard and together the entire night. We all wanted to win our last game in The Pit! Hope is having a great season and they brought out the best in us. It was great to see the three seniors in the starting lineup and have that moment for Maiya and Michaella. I'll treasure that forever. Gabby had an incredible night on her last home game. Love those seniors. I feel like we're playing our best basketball right now and getting people back from injuries. Looking forward to the tournament next week."
What's Next?: Vanguard is No. 7 seed in the first round of the GSAC Tournament, and opens action on Wednesday, February 23 against No. 10 seed Life Pacific. Tip time is 7:15 p.m. at The Master's.
