COSTA MESA, Calif. – No. 8 Arizona Christian (23-3, 11-3) shot 56.4 percent from the field in a 85-70 victory over Vanguard in a Golden State Athletic Conference men's basketball game on Thursday at The Pit.
The Firestorm had four players score in double figures, led by 19 points from Robby Wilson. Xander Bowers and Angelo Johnson chipped in 15 apiece, while Paul Hayden had 14. The Firestorm quartet wore out Vanguard's defense, shooting a combined 22-of-34 from the field.
Vanguard (15-9, 7-6) received a game-high 20 points off the bench from Garrett White (SR/Post Falls, ID). White made 6-of-10 from the floor, including 2-of-4 from distance. It was his fifth 20-point performance this season.
Nico Dasca (JR/Costa Mesa, CA) was the other double-digit Lion scorer, finishing with 10 points. Vanguard's bench outscored the starters 53-17.
Arizona Christian held a 40-18 advantage in points in the paint and outrebounded the Lions 32-23.
What Happened?: The Firestorm scored nine straight points to take a 9-2 lead four minutes into the game.
However, the Lions flipped the switch and responded with a 9-2 run of their own to tie the game at 11-11 on an Isaac Davis (SR/Valencia, CA) layup with 12:49 to go in the first half.
The two teams stayed close and the Lions trailed by only two, 22-20 on a Jordan Caruso (JR/New York, NY) tip-in. But the Firestorm cranked out a 10-2 run thanks to a pair of threes from Bowers and Wilson, polished off by a Hayden dunk.
Trailing 32-22, Vanguard fought back with six straight points, including four from White to make it a 32-28 game with 1:31 left. But Hayden nailed a three and Bowers sank two free throws to take a 37-28 lead into intermission.
The Lions saw their first double-digit deficit of the game when Wilson's triple gave the Firestorm a 40-28 advantage just 17 seconds into the second half.
Allen hit a jumper and made two free throws to keep VU within 10, 42-32 with 17:39 remaining. Phillip Willis (JR/San Diego, CA) knocked down a three to cut further into ACU's lead as the score read 42-35 at the 16:53 mark.
But the Firestorm ran off nine straight points in a minute and 43 seconds to take a 51-35 lead with 15:10 to go.
That seemed to subdue the Lions as VU picked up two technical fouls during the stretch.
The Lion bench tried to keep things close as Dominic St. Leon (SR/McKinney, TX) hit a jumper, followed by a three-point play from Caruso to trim ACU's lead down to 55-45 at the 12:16 mark.
But the Lions went nearly four minutes without a field goal and White's layup at the 8:35 mark had VU down 64-49 with 8:35 left.
Jadyn Johnson (SO/Temecula, CA) sank a three from near the top of the key to get the Lions within 14 at 66-52. But Wilson and Dominic Gonzalez hit treys of their own for the Firestorm to pump the advantage back to 18.
Vanguard could never mount a comeback from there as ACU won comfortably by 15.
Why Is It Important?: The Lions missed an opportunity to defeat another ranked opponent and build their postseason résumé after beating two currently in the NAIA top 10 in Talladega and William Jessup.
What Was Said?: "Credit ACU for being one of the top teams in the country and showing why," said Head Coach Rhett Soliday. "Everytime we made a push and had a chance to get within striking distance, they made a big stop or a big shot. I was really proud of some guys that stepped up tonight and gave us life in the second half. We still have plenty to play for and a big game with Ottawa on Saturday."
What's Next?: The Lions host OUAZ on Saturday, February 5 at 2:00 p.m.
