COSTA MESA -- While Vanguard men's basketball did not lead from start to finish Tuesday night, it did not have to worry down the stretch against Nobel in a 111-62 victory. The Lions had four players reach double digits on the night, with
Carson Frawley pacing all players with 22 points.
Jackson Larsen was right behind with 21 and the Blue and Gold shot a tick under 54% (53.9) in the contest. VU was helped immensely by 19 Nobel turnovers, which the squad flipped into 32 points. VU goes to 7-2 on the season and the Knights drop to 1-9.
What Happened? Despite the eventual lopsided result, the Knights played smartly over the first five minutes, leading 10-6 with 16:37 to go in the opening frame.
Bryson Metz and
Anthony Tello had the first baskets of the night for Vanguard but the entrance of Frawley just after the 16-minute media timeout sparked the reversal on the scoreboard. He ran a beautiful baseline pattern that gave him a free dunk while getting fouled, with his made free throw putting the Lions down 10-9. He then slammed down another dunk off a lob from Metz to put the Lions ahead for the first time in the game 11-9 and a quick shot by Larsen soon thereafter put VU ahead 13-12. While Nobel hung around over the next five minutes, the home side did not allow the Knights to lead again.
Both sides exchanged conversions over the next couple of minutes but the Lions sprinted to the end of the half to the tune of a 28-13 stretch. Frawley continued to lead the way offensively, as he deposited 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting in the first half in addition to making two of the three VU triples in the period. The trio of Metz, Larsen, and Tello also banked points for the Lions, with Tello finishing second in the lineup with nine tallies in the frame. VU shot 42.1% in the first half and led 47-27 at the break after a
Micah Swartz layup proved to be the final action of the half.
Vanguard came just shy of doubling up the Knights in the second period as the squad outscored Nobel 64-35. That included a 10-2 streak during the opening three minutes, with Frawley and Larsen netting shots down low before Frawley and Metz splashed down threes in back-to-back possessions to run the lead out to 57-29.
Frawley finished with 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting, including a 4-for-8 mark from downtown. Larsen had 21 points on 9-of-21 shooting, while Tello added in 14 points and tied Metz for a team-high five assists. The rest of the game was highlighted by the non-starters, with
Devin Carson next up with 12 points.
Robert Aguirre Jr. made three of his five attempts from downtown for nine points,
Aiden Gentry made one, and
Brenick Soliday slotted in two layups for four points.
Daniel Yardley made two free throws to round out the group.
The Lions shot 53.9% in the game (41-76) and 41.4% from deep (12-29). Nobel shot 24-61 (39.3%) from the floor in the contest and made only two of the squad's 10 three-point attempts.
What was Said? "I'm proud of the way the guys competed tonight and stayed consistent with our focus of giving maximum effort and sharing the ball at a high level. We had some guys off the bench have great games and pick their teammates up," said Head Coach
Rhett Soliday. "To see every guy score made it a fun night. Moving forward, we know we'll have to be at our best every night, starting with Jessup. We are excited to get back to PacWest play and the challenge that lies ahead."
What's Next? Vanguard returns to Pacific West Conference action on Saturday for a 2:00 p.m. contest against Jessup in the lone meeting between the two programs this season.
