FULLERTON, Calif. -- The Vanguard men's basketball team took on the SAGU American Indian Warriors for the second time in just under two weeks and once again, the two sides locked horns defensively.  The opening half was a slow, grinding affair, but unlike the December 9 game, Thursday night's contest opened up in the second half.  Vanguard was able to hold off the Warriors by shooting 57.8% from the field and 55% from downtown in the game, with Phillip Willis pacing all players with 23 points.  The Lions improve to 10-3 overall and the Warriors fall to 5-8.
 
What Happened? The Warriors would open the contest with four straight points off a free throw and a three pointer, but that represented all the offensive action between the two sides for almost eight minutes.  Micah Swartz eventually put the Lions on the board with 12:19 remaining in the half on a jumper just outside the key, but the Warriors would soon respond with their second three of the contest.  Jackson Larsen opened his account on the night with jumper in the paint with 10:31 to go, but the Warriors would make another shot from downtown two minutes later to increase their lead to 14-4. 
 
Free throws from Willis and Larsen started VU's comeback and Swartz buried a three to cut the gap to 14-11 with six minutes to go.  With Swartz and Pape Cisse making layups over the next two minutes, a three for Anthony Tello gave VU its first lead of the game at 18-17.  With the spark catching, the Lions would outscore the Warriors 14-9 the rest of the half, with a three from Willis sending the Lions ahead 32-26 at the intermission.
 
Vanguard shot 46.2% in the first half and 50% (4-for-8) from downtown.  The Warriors shot 38.1% from the floor and went 4-of-11 from beyond the arc.
 
SAGU would cut the lead to four points over the first two minutes of the second frame but a three from Willis would bump the edge to 40-33 for VU.  However, the Warriors would splurge for another six points over the next minute, and though Nico Dasca made a three, the Lions clung to a 43-40 lead with 17:39 to go in the period.
 
But the Blue and Gold recovered and a three from Swartz got the offense rolling again.  The lead would slowly grow as Tello snagged six points over the next four minutes and the defense quieted the Warriors for a short spell.  Though ahead 53-48, Vanguard would see its lead disappear, as the Warriors ran off eight unanswered points to take a 56-53 advantage.  Free throws for Larsen and back-to-back layups for Bryson Metz flipped the scoreboard, as the Lions put up their own 6-0 run.   The two teams exchanged points and with 5:13 to go, the contest was tied 60-60.
 
Willis made his second free throw to put the Lions ahead and then a deep three a couple of possessions later to help VU surge ahead 66-63 over the next minute.  Preston Sims followed that up by cashing in a three to increase the lead to 69-65 with 2:44 to go in the game.  Vanguard owned the final two minutes of the game, as the squad outscored the Warriors 15-6 the rest of the way.  The Lions remained cool from the free throw line, as the lineup made all eight shots from the charity stripe awarded to them during that span.  A steal by Jadyn Johnson with 10 seconds to go would help seal the 77-69 victory for the Blue and Gold.
 
SAGU shot 49.1% from the floor in the game and 38.9% (7-18) from downtown.  Vanguard made 16 of 21 free throws for a 76.2% rate for the match.  Willis went 5-for-7 from deep and 8-of-9 from the free throw line.  Dasca made two threes and pocketed 10 points, with Metz right behind with nine points and three assists.  Tello also netted nine points on 4-of-5 shooting.
 
What was Said? I'm really proud of the guys' response to the last two days after a tough loss to Northwestern," said Head Coach Rhett Soliday after the team's victory.  "We showed depth of character and toughness by beating a really good SAGU team twice.  They just kept coming and our guys showed resilience and grit to hold them off.  This is a great way to go into the Christmas break.  We have plenty of areas to improve in but I believe our guys will keep working to get there."
 
What's Next? Vanguard will enjoy Christmas and return to the hardwood on Thursday, December 28, at the OCC Gym in a match with Mount Royal out of Canada.