COSTA MESA – Holiday hoops continued as Vanguard closed out the calendar year with a critical 80-73 win against Jessup on a Saturday afternoon in the Freed Center.
Despite leading by nine at the break, the VU advantage was tried and tested in the second period and sliced down to three (67-64) with six minutes left. The Lions then propelled an 11-2 run as a Jadyn Johnson triple and Anthony Tello throwdown capped the decisive move to close out the three-game home stand.
Vanguard leaps to 8-2 and 2-2 in the PacWest Conference. They also earn the first Lion win over Jessup since 2021. The Warriors fall to 6-4 and 3-1, as VU became the first team to dislodge them in league play this season.
The Blue and Gold were led by Leonard Turner's 20 points and six rebounds on 6 of 11 from the field and 3 of 6 from deep. Tello shot 5 of 9 from the field on his way to 13 points, a season-high nine rebounds and three assists. Bryson Metz, Jackson Larsen and Chris Chiles finished with nine points. Devin Carson converted for seven points and Johnson clipped five, going perfect from the field.
The Lions shot 47 (30 of 64) percent from the field and led convincingly in steals (7-1), assists (13-5) and free throw percentage (77.0-57.0). VU also had an impressive second straight game with single-digit turnovers ending with only nine. Both teams were identical in rebounds (38), three-pointers made (7) and points in the paint (32).
What Happened?: Turner scored 14 in the first half and got VU on the board with an early trey. VU scored on the next possession through Larsen, who arrowed another triple from the top of the key to put Vanguard up 6-4. The three-pointer marked the final of the half for the Blue and Gold, as the conference leaders in three-point percentage struggled going 2 of 13 (15.4%) in the first interval.
Metz swerved with a dangerous crossover and finished off the window for VU's next point as the game began with both teams in rhythm. Jessup held a narrow 23-22 lead, but Turner's pair at the free throw line flipped the scoreline. Metz, who snagged a game-high four assists, combined with Aibigho Ujadughele in transition to help keep Jessup on the back foot. The Blue and Gold ended the half on a 16-6 run.
Vanguard jumped out to its largest lead of 13 points within four minutes of the second half as Chiles found Turner to make it 50-37. The Warriors gained ground with 15 second-half free throws, and productive performances from the bench as JU's Cayden McDaniel scored 14 in his 17 minutes played.
Jessup cut it to single digits on a few occasions and built momentum but another Turner three and Carson connection set the score at 65-56 VU with 8:34 left. Jessup cranked the intensity with an 8-2 run to bring the lead down to 67-64. Johnson's late reintroduction helped anchor VU in crunch time, as the graduate student sunk a baseline jumper and huge triple to put the Lions up 76-66 with 2:41 to go. The Blue and Gold pressed on the gas and Tello punched in a one-handed jam to seal the victory at the Freed.
What's Next?: Men's basketball will enjoy the holidays before starting its longest conference road trip at Hawaii Pacific on Thursday, January 2 at 8:30 p.m. (PST).
