COSTA MESA – Men's basketball ended its debut season as an NCAA DII program and PacWest Conference member with a 74-63 Senior Day defeat to Menlo on Saturday afternoon in the Freed Center.
The Lions honored seven seniors prior to tipoff and looked smooth out of the gates against the visiting Oaks (11-15, 7-13 PacWest). However, Menlo made a late push in the first half and created an 11-point gap which stood up and kept the Lions at bay. The Blue and Gold ended their season 12-14 overall and 6-14 in the PacWest. They also finished as the third-best offense in the league at 78.1 points per game and were top two in steals (10.4) and turnovers forced (17.7) per game.
Chris Chiles ended the season scoring in double-figures in the last three games. His team-high 16 points on 7 of 12 shooting was paired with four assists and three steals. Anthony Tello put together 13 points, three assists and three rebounds. Bryson Metz pitched in 10 points and three assists. Leonard Turner had six points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Menlo's Landon Seaman notched a season-high 30 points on 11 of 15 from the floor. He also snagged six rebounds and went 8 of 9 from the charity stripe.
The senior ceremony celebrated seven members of the Blue and Gold, as Jadyn Johnson, Daniel Yardley, Micah Swartz, Jackson Larsen, Chiles, Tello and Turner were all honored for their contributions.
What Happened?: VU committed three fouls in under three minutes, which hinted at an eventual theme of foul trouble for both teams. Menlo led for the bulk of the first half, but Chiles scored seven of the first 12 VU points as the Oaks led 13-12 early on. Johnson hit a smooth baseline jumper, while Yardley wrapped one in on a reverse layup to keep the Lions close.
Down 23-16, Vanguard was fueled by Tello's aggression at the rim to crank an 8-0 run, taking a 24-23 lead with 6:18 left in the half. However, VU was undone by a cluster of misses, going 2 of 8 from the floor in the latter stages of the period. In contrast, Menlo caught fire, hitting six of its last 12 shots, including a near full-court heave at the buzzer. The Oaks ended the half on a 14-2 run to lead by 11 at the break.
Despite eight lead changes in the first half, Menlo's halftime buffer was never broken in the final 20 minutes. Both teams scored 35 points in the half, but the Oaks shot 55 (11 of 20) percent from the floor and had an 18-6 advantage in free throw attempts.
The steady stream of scoring for both teams kept MC on top comfortably for the first nine minutes, but VU's press at the 10:34 mark nearly produced a comeback for the home side. The Lions forced six Menlo turnovers over a three-minute span and utilized an 11-2 run to cut the deficit to 59-56 with 8:03 remaining.
The Lions forced Menlo into a season-high 22 turnovers to build their way back. However, the Lion adrenaline could not be sustained for the final phase of play. Foul trouble for Vanguard pushed Menlo into the bonus. The Lions were forced to lay off their press as the Oaks scored 15 of the final 22 points in the game.
