ATHERTON, Calif. – The Golden State Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament came to an unfortunate conclusion for the Vanguard Lions Friday night. VU held leads of various sizes throughout the game, but the Menlo Oaks kept finding ways to march back into the picture. With Vanguard unable to pull away for good, the Oaks seized their chance and blitzed the final quarter, outscoring the Blue and Gold 26-14 in the fourth to pull off a 77-71 upset of the second-seeded Lions. Vanguard drops to 21-6 overall, while the third-seeded Oaks improve to 21-8 overall.
What Happened? Four Lions reached double figures on the night, with Melissa Akullu (JR/Kampala, Uganda) pacing the lineup with 15 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, seven of which were offensive. Halle Si'i (FR/Long Beach, CA) had 14 points and seven assists, while Lauren Baumgartner (SR/Meridian, ID) and Jaryn Madsen (FR/Warden, WA) each put in 13 points. Baumgartner went 3-for-3 from downtown and Madsen went 3-of-6, as VU shot 52.4% from deep for the game. The Lions also shot 51.9% from the floor for the game, but the squad fell to a 36.4% mark in the final period to hinder its chances. Vanguard won the rebound battle 29-23, but the Oaks had fewer turnovers (18-15) and were clinical from the free throw line, going 22-for-23, while VU was 6-for-12 for the game.
Akullu got the Lions on the board with a layup to start the game and Madanski knocked down the first triple of the night two minutes later to put VU up 5-2. The score would be tied two more times before Menlo claimed its first lead of the night at 10-7 off a three with 4:15 to go. Vanguard buckled down and countered with seven points in a row, with a three from Sarah Matossian (SO/Laguna Niguel, CA) and another Akullu layup helping the Lions bounce ahead 14-10. Both sides then stepped up defensively, as neither side scored over the final two minutes of the frame, with the Lions maintaining their four-point lead entering the second.
The Blue and Gold extended their run to six unanswered with a layup from Estefania Giner (SR/Chihuahua, Mexico) to open the second before the Oaks finally got back on the scoreboard with a pair of free throws. However, another layup for Akullu and a jumper by Madsen increased the edge to 20-13 just past the six-minute mark. Madsen then splashed down a three to put VU up by 10, but Menlo would slowly shove its way back into the contest from there. The Oaks would outscore the Lions 15-7 over the final four minutes to cut the lead to two, with Menlo converting on a pair of free throws with 10 seconds left to make the halftime score 33-31 in favor of Vanguard.
VU opened the third quarter with back-to-back threes thanks to Baumgartner and Giner, with an Akullu lay-in cushioning the lead back to eight at 41-33. However, the Oaks rolled off a 5-0 run to slim the score to 41-38 with 6:12 left in the third. The pressure did not phase the Lions though, as Giner and Baumgartner again nailed back-to-back shots from downtown to extend the lead to 46-38 with 5:09 left. The advantage would not last, as over the next two minutes, the Oaks made a 9-2 run to slim the gap to 48-47. Despite the oncoming Menlo attack, the Blue and Gold remained stout and pulled off a 9-1 stretch in response to snag a 57-49 advantage with 34 seconds left in the frame. Two free throws by Menlo ended the period, with the Lions up 57-51 at the turn for home.
But the Oaks would continue to find answers in the fourth as the home crowd willed them on. MC scored the first five points of the period to take a 58-57 lead, with a free throw from Si'i knotting the game at 58-all soon thereafter. The lead ping-ponged between the two sides over the next three minutes, with a Baumgartner three putting the Lions up 65-63 with 5:15 to go. Si'i made a pair of shots from the charity stripe to increase the lead to 67-63, but that would mark the final time Vanguard would hold a lead in the ball game. Six-straight points for the Oaks handed MC a 70-67 lead with 2:29 to go, with Madsen making a jumper on the next possession to cut the deficit back to one. Unfortunately, the Lions ran out of steam after that and Menlo did not miss from the free throw line, going 5-of-6 over the final two minutes to hold VU at an arm's length. The Oaks ran out the clock and celebrated the 77-71 win with the home crowd.
Why is it Important? The Lions will now have to wait for the NAIA National Tournament qualifiers to be announced in the upcoming weeks to see what their future holds.
Menlo will take on Hope International in the final tomorrow after HIU beat Westmont in triple overtime earlier in the evening.
This was the first loss to the Oaks at the GSAC tournament, with VU winning the last meeting in a tournament setting in March 2020. Menlo has now won three of the past five matchups overall and the Lions now hold an 11-6 lead in the all-time series.
What was Said? "What a tough game," said Head Coach Russ Davis. "We had chances and didn't execute. They took advantage of having a home game and a big crowd. They played great offense in the last two and a half quarters. I wish we would have gotten a few calls at the end, but, it is what it is. The free throw line was the difference tonight. We only give up (an average) of 51 points a game and we allowed 46 points in the second half tonight. 18 of those points were from free throws. Give Menlo credit, they stepped up."
