LANCASTER, Calif. – In a turnover-plagued foul fest, upset-minded Vanguard controlled the action for the first 20 minutes but faltered in the second half, as host and 21st-ranked Antelope Valley earned a 107-99 men's basketball victory on Saturday.
The Pioneers scored 30 points off 26 Lion turnovers. VU committed 11 of those miscues over the final 10 minutes – and despite that stat – the Lions trailed by just three with just over a minute remaining in the game.
UAV also outscored VU 58-30 in points in the paint.
The biggest adversity of all came at the foul line, as UAV shot a mind-boggling 52 free throws for the game. The Pioneers converted 39 of those attempts, with VU whistled for 36 fouls and Jackson Larsen, Preston Sims and Anthony Tello fouling out.
In total, 61 fouls were called. The Lions handcuffed themselves at the charity stripe, making just 28 of 40 attempts for 70.0 percent.
Phillip Willis led the Lions with a career-high 26 points on 8 of 11 shooting, including 5 of 6 from three-point range. The career night in scoring pushed Willis to over 1,000 career points at Vanguard. He added team-highs of seven rebounds and five assists but also committed eight turnovers.
Sophomore Bryson Metz added 15 points to go along with four steals, two assists and three rebounds.
Micah Swartz and Anthony Tello provided 14 points each in reserve roles, helping the Lions own a 46-31 edge in bench points. Swartz scored his career-high 14 on 5 of 9 shooting, while Tello knocked down 4 of 8 from the field.
The Lions canned 11 threes and shot 39.3 (11 of 28) percent from distance, while the Pioneers were just 2 of 12 from deep. VU shot a solid 50.8 (30 of 59) percent from the field for the game, but the Pioneers were even better at 54.1 (33 of 61) percent.
What Happened?: The Lions created their biggest lead of 16 points at 61-45 on a Larsen layup less than a minute into the second half.
But the Pioneers utilized a 11-1 run over the next three minutes to slice the deficit to 62-56.
The Lions pushed the lead back to double digits as back-to-back buckets by Swartz made the score 68-58.
UAV responded again – this time using an 11-0 run – and took a 69-68 lead on an Arik Nicholas layup.
VU took its last lead at 70-69 on a Swartz jumper, but the Pioneers mounted their third big run, outscoring the Lions 14-1 to go up 83-71 at the 8:56 mark. The Pioneers turned a 12-point halftime deficit into a 12-point lead in a matter of 11 minutes as they outscored the Lions 38-14.
The Pioneers eventually upped their lead to 87-72 and looked to run away before the Lions reeled them back in.
The work of Larsen, Tello and Metz cut the deficit to 89-85 as the trio combined for 10 points during the 13-2 run that began with a Willis triple.
VU still trailed by just four (91-87) with 3:22 to go as Larsen drained a pair of free throws.
Unable to make a field goal for nearly three minutes, the Lions still managed to pull within 97-94 on two Sims free throws with 1:07 on the clock.
However, the Pioneers finished the game at the free throw line, hitting five of their last six attempts.
Vanguard shot 58.1 (18 of 31) percent in the first half and leaned heavily on the three-point shot to build a 57-45 halftime lead. The Lions made 8 of 15 from distance in the first period with Willis canning all four of his attempts.
Six straight points from Cam'Ron Wilson fueled a 10-2 run which stretched the lead to 46-31 with 6:53 left. The 15-point bulge was VU's largest of the half.
The Pioneers shaved the deficit down to 50-45, fighting back on a 14-4 run over a four-minute span.
However, the Lions closed out the half strongly as they scored the final seven points to reopen the double-digit cushion. Willis converted a traditional three-point play and followed with another layup, and Metz finished the half with a pair of free throws.
Why Is It Important?: The Lions showed an ability to compete with an NAIA Top-25 team on the road, but could not overcome 26 turnovers.
What's Next?: The competition gets even tougher as the Blue and Gold faces No. 1 College of Idaho in Caldwell, Idaho on Friday, November 17 at 6:00 p.m. (PT). The Yotes are hosting the Domino's Classic.
