COSTA MESA -- The first of two high-profile matches in Pacific West Conference play did not fall the right way for Vanguard women's basketball on Wednesday night.  The Blue and Gold were stymied in the second quarter and despite two clinical shots from beyond the arc from Sarah Matossian in the fourth, the Lions could not level the score at the final buzzer, falling 59-56.  The Lions drop to 13-7 overall and 11-3 in the league, with Westmont moving up to 15-6, 11-3.  The two squads meet at Westmont on February 19 and both teams face leaders Azusa Pacific and Point Loma over the final span of the season.
 
 
What Happened?  The Warriors had the first basket but Matossian replied with her first three of the night at the 8:35 mark.  She then splashed down from deep almost three minutes later to put Vanguard ahead 6-4, as the senior powered the lineup in the frame by scoring 11 of the team's 16 points.  However, the lead changed hands seven times over the final five minutes of the period, with the Warriors making a three with 34 seconds remaining to take a 17-16 edge.
 
The second quarter was not one for fans of offense, as VU managed just eight points on 3-of-16 shooting from the floor.  WC pumped its lead up to eight points before a triple by Emma Schaaf made the score 24-19 with 4:43 to go.  Matossian and Aryanna Hudson made jumpers over the final few minutes, and Halle Si'i contributed a free throw, but Westmont led 31-24 at halftime.  The Warriors shot 42.9% from the field in the first half and had a 23-14 lead in rebounds.  VU shot 30% from the floor and went 5-for-13 (38.5%) from downtown.
 
With no team scoring over the first two minutes of the third frame, Jaryn Madsen's three with 8:06 to go was the opening bucket of the second half, with Si'i giving her the rock on a nice transition play.  Westmont was vigilant in finding answers for each VU conversion and the visitors ended the frame on an 11-7 stretch that put the Warriors ahead 49-37.
 
While Matossian led VU in scoring in the fourth, the group was ravenous about bringing the fight back to the Warriors.  Down 50-39 with 8:32 to go, Matossian drilled her first triple to bring the gap down to 50-42.  A WC turnover resulted in Madsen making a nice crossover and burrying a shot from the elbow to bring the deficit down to 50-44.  Westmont missed their next shot and Matossian, under duress, buried a straight-away three to make it 50-47 with 5:46 to go. 
 
Free throws put the lead back to five for the Warriors but a Schaaf layup made it 53-49 11 seconds later.  Hudson danced around defenders to slice the score to 52-51 with 3:15 to go, but unfortunately, that was as close as it got.  Westmont made its possessions count, going back up by five on two free throws with 1:45 left.  Ashlin Crabtree made a layup to bring the score to 59-56, but that was the final bucket in the game, as VU missed two shots from downtown over the final minute.
 
The Lions shot 33.9% from the field, 33.3% from beyond the arc, and went 4-for-8 from the charity stripe.  WC shot 38.8% from the floor, 37.5% from deep, and went 15-of-19 from the free throw line.  Westmont's 23-9 lead in bench points and 45-31 advantage in rebounds assisted in the Warrior win despite the guests losing the turnover battle 20-11.  Though WC had a 14-12 lead in offensive boards, the visitors were more efficient on their second chances, netting a 17-5 lead in points off offensive boards.
 
Matossian made five of her 10 shots from downtown and went 8-for-18 from the field to tally 21 points for VU.  She also had two boards and assists.  Madsen went 2-for-7 from deep to collect eight points and Emma Schaaf had seven points, three blocks, and a team-high nine rebounds.  Si'i had six points and a game-high six assists.
 
Why is it Important?  The Lions are 1-9 against Westmont in the team's last 10 attempts, the worst streak in the history of the matchup for VU.  WC will hold the tiebreaker with Vanguard until the teams meet at Westmont, which puts the Warriors in third behind PLNU, who they host on Saturday and play on the final day of the season on the road.  The Warriors also have APU on their remaining slate of games.  There are now four hats in the ring for the regular season championship with roughly six games to go in the PacWest.
 
What's Next?  The Lions host APU at home, the team with the second-most games played in the league season so far (13-2).  The first-place Cougars enter the Freed Center for a 5:30 p.m. game against the Lions on Saturday.