CALDWELL, Idaho – Fresh off a thrilling victory over No. 1-ranked College of Idaho, the Vanguard men's basketball team extinguished any concerns of a letdown in Saturday's afternoon clash against Northwest at the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.
The Lions completed the Domino's Classic with a comfortable 91-69 victory over the Eagles, leaving the Gem State with a 2-0 tournament record and improving to 3-1 on the season.
Vanguard has eclipsed the 90-point barrier in four straight games and is tied for third in the country in scoring at 96.8 points per game.
All 16 Lions saw the floor for the second straight game with no player logging more than 22 minutes. VU's bench accounted for 57 points with Cam'Ron Wilson leading the way with game-highs of 19 points and seven rebounds. The Florida Memorial transfer knocked down 3 of 4 from three-point range and went 4 of 4 at the foul line.
Jackson Larsen was the only other VU player in double figures as 15 of the 16 Lions got into the scoring column. The senior scored 10 points on 4 of 8 shooting.
Junior Pape Cisse chipped in a career-best nine points in 19 minutes off the bench. Phillip Willis contributed nine points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals.
The Lions shot 44.7 (34 of 76) percent overall and held Northwest to 35.9 (23 of 64) efficiency.
Milton Burnett led the Eagles with 16 points.
What Happened?: The Lions built a 19-point halftime lead behind eight points from Cisse and seven more from both Wilson and Willis.
The two teams battled through five early lead changes. VU employed a hockey line switch three and a half minutes into the game as all five starters were subbed out. Micah Swartz, Cisse, Mitchell Prevost, Wilson and Anthony Tello combined to score the next 14 Lion points as VU turned a 6-5 lead into a 20-12 advantage with 10:33 to go in the first half.
Northwest stayed close, and moved within 22-17 on a Micah Hagan layup with eight minutes remaining. But an 11-0 Lion surge opened up a double-digit lead for the first time. Cisse got inside for a layup and a dunk, and Wilson's jumper made the score 33-17 with 5:20 to play.
The Eagles managed just three field goals over the final eight minutes, while the Lions ended the half on a Willis three-pointer and a Larsen jumper. Larsen, who drew a foul on Djordje Mitrovic, converted the ensuing free throw for a 44-23 lead.
VU went into the locker room leading 44-25.
Both squads played the second half on more even terms as VU held the slight 47-44 advantage. The Lions still led by more than 20 for the final 17 minutes.
VU's tenacity was on display as the team corralled three offensive rebounds in one sequence before Wilson finished off the flurry with a jumper, giving the Lions a 59-33 lead with 15:48 to go.
Daniel Yardley scored his first collegiate points on a layup with 53 seconds remaining.
Why Is It Important?: The Lions took care of the ball for the second straight game. After committing 26 turnovers in a winnable game against Antelope Valley on November 11, the Lions have limited their miscues to exactly eight in each of the other three contests.
What Was Said?: "After such an energized and emotional win the night before, followed by a quick turnaround versus a good opponent, I was a little concerned about our readiness to play," said Head Coach Rhett Soliday. "While we did get off to a slow start, the guys showed a ton of maturity in working things out together on the court to find a rhythm and get it going on both ends. Northwest has really good pieces and Coach (Rick) Skeen is building a great program. We needed a balanced attack and this is what we got. Lots of guys in the boxscore, led by Cam Wilson, who can just flat out put the ball in the basket. For the second straight game we took care of the ball with only eight turnovers. When we do that, we are a tough team to beat."
What's Next?: The Blue and Gold returns to Costa Mesa against Westcliff on Wednesday, November 22. Tip-off at Orange Coast College is 7:30 p.m.
