COSTA MESA -- After a season's pause, Vanguard and Westmont men's basketball renewed their rivalry for the first time in the NCAA DII era, as the Lions fell 78-75 inside the Freed Center on Wednesday night. The 100th edition between both programs saw VU lead for over 36 of the 40 minutes played, but it was Westmont who finished stronger during the final stanza to sneak away with the win. The Blue and Gold held their largest lead at 12 (65-63) with 11:13 left in the ballgame. WC, however, pulled together a 14-2 run to end proceedings, while the Lions made just five of their final 22 field goal attempts to calcify the late collapse.

The tough night on the home floors sees the Blue and Gold fall to 11-9 overall and 5-9 in Pacific West Conference play. Westmont survived to win back-to-back PacWest games for just the second time this season and improved to 9-13, 7-7.

Anthony Tello netted 20 points for the fifth time this season, eighth overall as Lion. He also shot 9-for-17 from the field and added a game-high four steals.
Jackson Larsen strung together 16 points on 8-of-17 shooting. He grappled six rebounds with half of them being on the offensive glass.

Bryson Metz was the final Lion in double figures, scoring 10 points. Chris Chiles marked an efficient nine points by hitting four of his seven total efforts.  Westmont was paced by the nation's leading scorer Adrian McIntyre, who ended with a game-high 36 points, going 13-for-19. They were also supported by Jarrett Bryant, who claimed a season-high in points (19) and blocks (4).

What Happened? Westmont led for just 1:59 across both halves but struck a triple to lead 3-2 early.  Vanguard controlled the tide for the remainder of the half, playing fast in transition to deny the Warriors any defensive foundation. Devin Carson, who ended the night with six points, earned his first with a hard drive to the cup to make it 27-24 VU with 9:04 left in the half. Though the game remained within a few possessions, the Lions looked the more comfortable of the two sides during the opening frame. Their deadlock defensive hustle in the backcourt also helped, as they clawed 11 of their 14 overall steals in the first period.

The second half appeared to present a similar story as the Lions continued to run up the score in transition. They led the match in fast break points 24-6 and connected on a Chiles trey on the break to put them up (49-42) just past the 16-minute mark. After Chiles' effort, VU would pour down three more triples courtesy of Tello, Carson, and Micah Swartz.

Pape Cisse would pick up a steal and drive coast to coast, marking the largest Lion lead at 65-53 with 11:13 to play. It also marked the 15th of WC's eventual 21 turnovers.  From there, the game's fast pace slowed down immensely. With both teams producing just 11 assists combined, the game settled into isolation-ball down the stretch and McIntyre found his groove, scoring 22 of his 36 points in the second half. Larsen and Metz had the only two VU field goals in the midst of the Warrior charge to close the deficit. WC secured a key block and Bryant scored on a reverse layup on the other end to give the visitors the 73-71 lead with 1:43 remaining.

The game seemed to be settled after Westmont split a pair at the line to make it 78-73. Metz however, bolted down the floor to finish at the rim and earn a potential three-point play. Though he missed at the charity stripe, Aibigho Ujadughele created an extra look with an offense rebound and flashed an outlet pass for three. Unfortunately, the VU triple to tie it fell short, as Westmont walked out with a conference win on the road.

What's Next? Vanguard will face Azusa Pacific on Saturday for more PacWest action, with opening tip set for 7:30 p.m.