Box Score PHOENIX, Ariz. -- Vanguard men's basketball went from an open, free-flowing game last Tuesday to a defensive grind against SAGU American Indian on Saturday.  After dropping 114 points in their last game and shooting 51.8% from the floor, the Lions managed almost half of that today and both sides shot under 40% from the field. Regardless, the Lions adapted and prevailed 68-60 behind the best performance by Pape Cisse in his Vanguard career.  The transfer, in his second year, went 5-for-5 from the floor and sank two free throws to pace VU with 12 points.  He also tied Phillip Willis for the team lead in rebounds with eight.  SAGU was led by Keyshawn Celestino-Clyde, who deposited 21 points in the losing effort, but no one else got over 10 points for the Warriors.  The Lions improve to 6-2 and SAGU falls to 4-6.
 
 
What Happened?  Nico Dasca made the opening basket of the contest, as he finished off a steal with a tidy layup to put the Blue and Gold up 2-0 within the first minute of action.  SAGU responded after a few misses with some good offensive sets and the hosts would score the next four points.  But Cisse got the Lions back on the scoreboard almost five minutes later to tie the game at 4-4.  Despite the slow start offensively, Vanguard retook the lead as Anthony Tello and Micah Swartz each made layups to put VU ahead 8-4 with 14 minutes to go.  The lead would hover around four points until the 10-minute mark, as the Warriors ran off five unanswered points to surge ahead 17-14. That did not phase the Lions, who would erode that lead over the ensuing two minutes and Preston Sims knocked down a jumper with 8:34 on the board to send VU ahead 18-17. 
 
The lead flip-flopped a couple of times over the next few possessions but downtown conversions from Swartz and Sims put the Lions on top 24-21.  The Blue and Gold impressed their will on the contest after that, outscoring the Warriors 11-4 over the final eight minutes of the half to take a 35-25 lead into the intermission. 
 
The advantage would grow over the opening five minutes of the second frame, with Dasca pumping in the first three of the new period to increase the lead to 38-26.  Willis then added two triples to the VU tally within one minute of action and a layup for Bryson Metz pushed the lead to 16 at 46-30 with 15:00 left to play.
 
The two squads continued to engage in a physical battle as the game went on, but the referees mostly let the men play.  The teams combined for 27 fouls, but strangely enough, the only two players to get over two fouls were Rob Jenkins of SAGU and VU's Jackson Larsen, both of whom would foul out of the contest.  Dasca was key for the Lions around the perimeter and drew one of the tougher assignments in Harley Upton, who normally leads SAGU in points and averages 15.1 on the season.  But on this night, Dasca hounded him and limited Upton to nine points on 4-of-12 shooting.  The Lions also held SAGU to only two conversions from beyond the arc (2-11) in the game and kept the hosts frustrated offensively for much of the contest.
 
The Lions were able to match the Warriors shot-for-shot through the middle stages of the second half and though the defense remained stout, SAGU started to gain some traction with eight minutes to go.  Upton's only three of the day trimmed the lead to 56-46 but four points via two layups for Cisse kept the lead at 10 (60-50) with five minutes to go.  However, the Warriors kept banking in shots over the next three minutes, going on an 8-2 stretch to cut the lead to 62-58.  Cisse made another layup to increase the advantage again, but the Warriors made it a 64-60 ball game with two minutes to go.
 
But when it mattered most, the team defense for Vanguard stepped up and did not allow the Warriors to make another shot the rest of the way.  The Blue and Gold scored the final four points of the game off of free throws from Metz and Dasca to pick up the 68-60 victory.
 
The Lions shot 37.7% from the floor and SAGU shot at a 33.3% clip.  Willis made two threes on the night to lead VU, as the team made six of 26 attempts from beyond the arc (23.1%).   The Lions secured 35 total rebounds the Warriors' 41, but Vanguard won the turnover battle 10-15.  Both teams had 10 assists. 
 
Sims and Dasca each had nine points for the Lions and Cam'Ron Wilson had seven.  Metz was second in rebounds on Vanguard with five.
 
Why is it Important?  The Lions improved to 1-0 against the Warriors after the first meeting between the programs and needed this type of defensive performance, as the lineup will deal with back-to-back ranked NAIA teams after today.
 
 
What was Said? After the contest, Head Coach Rhett Soliday said, "SAGU is a really solid young team with tongs of talent, and they are so well-coached.  They are going to beat a lot of people this year.  I'm really proud of our guys' grit to take a long road trip, get focused, and empty the tank the way they did.  I thought a couple keys were Nico's defense on Upton and the way our guys started committing to get to the paint when our threes weren't falling.  It was a great team win against a quality opponent."
 
What's Next?  The first ranked team the Blue and Gold will face will be #8 Montana Tech next Friday, December 15, at 7:30 p.m. at the OCC Gym.