ATHERTON, Calif. – In a wild game with eight lead changes and a fast-paced rhythm, men's basketball secured a program-first Pacific West Conference win, 77-74, against Menlo at Haynes-Prim Pavilion on Saturday.
Down just four at the half, Vanguard wrestled back and forth with the Oaks in the second interval, with the Lions unable to lead by more than six. Trailing 72-69 with 1:19 remaining, Vanguard's Aibigho Ujadughele hit two clutch free throws, then snatched a crucial steal on the next possession, finishing coast-to-coast with the layup and lifting the Lions to a 73-72 lead.
The Blue and Gold tightened up in the remaining minute of play and closed the night at the foul line for their first conference win.
Vanguard (6-1, 1-1) bounced back from Thursday's conference opening defeat and topped the Oaks for the first time at Menlo in two years. Menlo falls to 3-4 and 0-2 in the PacWest.
Leonard Turner led the Blue and Gold with 17 points, and six rebounds, and was destructive in the paint with a game-high three blocks. Anthony Tello went for 15 points and a season-best six steals. Chris Chiles had 13 points, four assists and four rebounds. Bryson Metz finished with 11 points and Jackson Larsen added nine, as both starters shot 4 of 9 from the field.
Less than 20 (30 of 151) percent of the points scored in the game were three-pointers, as a physical contest saw both teams bang down low. The Oaks held a slight 44-40 edge in points in the paint and took their largest statistical advantage in second-chance points (24-4). Vanguard made up the difference in the turnover spread, as the Blue and Gold forced a season-high 23 turnovers from the Oaks, parlaying that into a 27-9 points off turnovers advantage.
What Happened?: Tello claimed four of the first six points for VU, with a teardrop floater to make it 6-4 Lions. Metz added a pair of points with a patented pull up jumper out of the media timeout, but the Oaks climbed back with a 5-0 run to go up 9-8. Chiles, who went a perfect 3 of 3 from deep, hit his first triple of the game for a 13-11 Vanguard advantage.
Turner's elbow jumper was the next VU bucket scored, but it came in the middle of an 8-2 Menlo run. VU shot 1 of 9 from distance in the first half as overtaking the Oaks proved difficult. Menlo took its largest lead at 34-26 with 1:01 left before intermission, but a Larsen scoop and Micah Swartz layup in transition cut it down to four.
Vanguard fed off the rowdy crowd and fought back with precision after the break. The Lions shot 50 (15 of 30) percent from the floor and 57 (4 of 7) percent from three in the second half. They retook a 37-36 lead just under three minutes into the second half following an Oak turnover, providing Larsen the chance to bury a smooth fadeaway.
Tello aimed an outlet pass in the open floor to Chiles to force an Oak timeout. Turner's triple to make it 49-43 VU completed a 19-8 run for the Blue and Gold and warranted a response from Menlo. The Oak resurgence correlated with a flurry of second-chance points and a 59-58 lead with 8:21 to go. The Lions played catchup as they trailed in the final phases of the game, but free throws proved influential in fighting their way back.
The Lions shot 16 of their 18 free throws in the second half and hit 13 to dent the Menlo lead. After a huge Oaks bucket and VU turnover, it was Ujadughele's late-game frenzy and finesse amid the tension that helped flip the game and give VU the 73-72 lead. Tello took a hard charge to draw an offensive foul, and alongside Metz iced the game at the free-throw line.
What's Next? Vanguard will host Biola on Saturday, December 14 at 6:00 p.m. for the first PacWest men's basketball game in the Freed Center.
