POINT LOMA, Calif. -- The end of the Thanksgiving week was perfect for Vanguard men's basketball as the team beat Seattle Pacific at the PLNU Thanksgiving Classic Saturday afternoon. The Falcons could not stop the VU shooters, who rocked a 54.5% rate from the field while holding SPU to 39.7% in a 90-67 victory. The Lions improve to 5-0 on the season and Seattle Pacific falls to 2-6.
The Blue and Gold showcased a quartet of double-digit scorers in the game, with
Leonard Turner topping the charts with 15 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field.
Pape Cisse was second with 12 points, and both
Chris Chiles and
Jackson Larsen had 11. The Lions led by six at the break but were better still in the second period, as they lowered the SPU shooting rates and outscored the Falcons by 17 over the final 20 minutes of action.
The lead was never below 10 points after the first two minutes of the second half.
What Happened? The start favored the Falcons, who posted the opening five points of the contest, but the edge was short-lived. Turner started the scoring for Vanguard on the team's third possession and he and Larsen made layups to tie the game at 5-5 over the next two minutes. Chiles pick-pocketed Trace Evans of SPU and rolled in a layup, putting the Lions ahead for the first time in the game. SPU had a reply to to tie things again, but after that, Vanguard would go ahead for good.
Bryson Metz converted a layup to put the Lions up 9-7 and a steal by
Aibigho Ujadughele was finished off by a Chiles lay-in for an 11-7 lead for VU. Metz and Cisse each made jumpers to keep the Lions in the lead as the period progressed, but Seattle Pacific would hang around until the Falcons tied the game for the last time at 30-30 with 4:53 remaining in the first half.
Shortly after, a Larsen dunk punctuated the final lead change of the contest and VU held a 40-34 lead at intermission. SPU shot 50% (15-30) in the first half and went 3-for-12 from downtown. The Lions had a 51.6% conversion rate from the floor (16-31) but missed all four of their shots from beyond the arc.
However, the team statistics for Vanguard would soar in the second half. Conversions for Larsen and Chiles in the paint put the advantage at 10 points within the first two minutes of the second frame. SPU made a shot in the key to trim the gap to eight, but Turner made a tidy drive and finished while getting fouled at the other end. He made the and-one to put the Vanguard lead at 47-36, which would never be tested in the 90-67 victory.
The Blue and Gold shot 57.1% from the floor in the second half (20-35) and went 6-for-14 from deep to net a 42% clip in the second period. The Falcons struggled, shooting 28.5% from the floor and making two of 15 shots from downtown. The only thing SPU did successfully in the second half was make free throws, as the Falcons had a 15-for-17 mark in the frame.
The Lions won the rebound battle on the offensive glass 8-6 in the game and had a slim edge in the defensive board count 29-24. Vanguard held a 56-32 lead in points in the paint and forced 15 SPU turnovers while committing only 10.
Turner went 5-of-7 from the charity stripe to lead VU and had a team-high four steals. Chiles made five of his eight shots and Larsen went 4-for-7 from the field and latched on to six total rebounds. Cisse came off the bench and made five of his six shots in 16 minutes while also leading the Lions with two offensive rebounds.
Jadyn Johnson went 3-for-3 from the field in net six points.
What's Next? The first Pacific West Conference game in program history looms for the Blue and Gold as they will head north to take on a tough opponent in Academy of Art on Thursday, December 5 at 7:30 p.m.
