SANTEE, Calif. – The Vanguard women's basketball team overcame a slow start to topple San Diego Christian, 72-52, on Thursday evening at Grossmont College. The Lions collected their 10th straight victory, marking the program's longest winning streak since the 2018-19 season.

Balanced scoring was the catalyst behind the triumph, as four Lions scored in double figures. Halle Si'i (FR/Long Beach, CA) posted 14 points and 10 assists for her fourth double-double. Melissa Akullu (JR/Kampala, Uganda) and Sarah Matossian (SO/Laguna Niguel, CA) tallied 13 points apiece, while Estefania Giner (SR/Chihuahua, Mexico) chipped in 12.

Lauren Baumgartner (SR/Meridian, ID) scored eight points and pulled down a game-high nine rebounds, helping the Lions enjoy a 42-32 advantage on the boards.

VU improved to 21-4 on the season and 14-3 in the Golden State Athletic Conference. The Hawks fell to 6-20 and 2-15 in conference play.

What Happened?: The Hawks scored the game's first points on a Mamaeia Makoni jumper for their only lead of the game. Vanguard went the first three and a half minutes without a point as the team missed its first five shots.

Akullu broke the drought with a pair of free throws at the 6:33 mark to tie the score. She then made a steal and put back her own missed shot for a layup and a 4-2 lead.

The Hawks tied the score three more times before an Airiana Madanski (JR/Gilbert, AZ) three-pointer gave the Lions the lead for good at 10-7. The Lions closed the first quarter on an 8-0 run – including five straight points from Si'i – to go ahead 18-9.

VU eventually stretched the run to 15 consecutive points as a Baumgartner three and buckets from Matossian and Giner opened up a 25-9 advantage with 8:47 left in the second period. VU held the Hawks without a point for over four minutes during the burst.

San Diego Christian finally ended the spell with an Elaina Martinez triple, but three-point responses from Matossian and Faith Boss (FR/Torrance, CA) widened the Lion lead to 31-15 midway through the second stanza.

Giner scored 10 of her 12 points in the second quarter, including the last six as the Lions carried a 42-22 advantage into halftime.

VU hit six threes in the first half and held the Hawks to 34.6 (13 of 29) percent shooting.

SDCC was at its most effective in the third period, shooting 53.3 (8 of 15) percent from the field. However, the Hawks managed to trim just one point off their deficit as VU remained in front by 19 at the end of three.

Si'i notched VU's final six points and scored nine of her 14 in the third. The Hawks crept within 14 on a couple of occasions, the last at 51-37 on a Keren Hogue jumper with 3:33 on the clock.

The Lions limited the Hawks to nine shots and 33.3 percent shooting in the fourth quarter. Akullu awakened offensively with VU's first eight points – all on layups. One of them increased VU's lead to 65-43, equaling its largest lead of the game.

Hunter Simon (FR/Temecula, CA) played her first collegiate minutes for the Lions and scored her first points on a layup with 1:48 remaining, leading to the final 20-point margin of victory.

Why Is It Important?: The Lions kept their momentum going after two hard fought, emotional victories last week over Westmont and The Master's.

What's Next?: Vanguard ends the regular season on Saturday at Hope International. Tip time is 2:00 p.m.