COSTA MESA -- In a matchup of the top two teams in the Pacific West Conference, Vanguard women's basketball took round one against the Warriors of Westmont Tuesday night.  Vanguard outscored the Warriors in the final three quarters and never allowed Westmont to regroup for a counterattack as the second half progressed, winning 75-60.  It was a brilliant night for Micaela Hanning, who set five season-highs and topped all players with 25 points. 

Vanguard shot above 50% on the night from the floor and from downtown, while holding WC to under 40% from the field on the evening.  VU improved to 9-1 overall and 5-0 in league play, while  Westmont dropped to 8-4, 4-2.
 
What Happened?  Jaryn Madsen banked in the first jumper of the game after she grabbed a long offensive rebound on a three-point attempt that she had missed.  VU twice waltzed to five-point leads in the opening frame only to see the Warriors equalize.  Tied at 10-10, WC spun a 7-2 stretch to lead by five with 1:17 left, the largest lead of the night for the visitors.  However, Kaylee Byon spotted Aryanna Hudson in the corner, and Hudson rewarded the tidy pass with a swish to put the WC lead at 17-15 after one frame.  The Lions went 6-for-12 from the floor in the first period and had a 3-for-4 line from downtown.
 
After a strong opening possession to commence the second period, VU set up Shayla O'Neil on the wing and she made the first of her three triples on the night to inch the Lions ahead 18-17.  A trey by WC put the visitors ahead 20-18, but a Hanning floater from mid-range tied things at 20-20 with 8:11 left in the half.  The freshman then made a scoop-and-score to complete the final lead change of the night, as she registered the first four points of an 8-0 run to lift VU ahead 26-20.  A three by Westmont brought the gap back to three, but the Blue and Gold responded with a 9-2 interval, with O'Neil, Hanning, and Madsen all striking for three-pointers.  WC had four unanswered points to end the half, chipping the Vanguard lead down to 37-33 at the intermission.  Although Westmont hit 50% of its shots in the second, the Lions had a 66.67% rate in frame, including a 4-for-6 line from deep.
 
The Warriors opened the second half with a layup, but then got stuck on 35 points for nearly four minutes of game time, as the Blue and Gold piled on a 9-0 run again, with Hanning netting four points and Emma Schaaf tallying five.  The Vanguard advantage hovered around 10 points the rest of the third and grew to 17 with 7:06 left in the fourth at 65-48.  The Warriors could not get the gap much after that and never got to within 10 or fewer points the rest of the night.  The Lions generated quality possessions that devoured much of the clock, and clinical shooting and strong defense allowed VU to cinch the 75-60 home victory.
 
The Lions went 29-for-55 (52.7%) in the game from the field and 11-for-19 (57.9) from deep.  The squad also did well to limit the conference's best free-throw shooting team to only 11 attempts from the charity stripe (WC hit eight of those 11).  Westmont had a 35-23 edge in rebounds but could not capitalize on  many of its extra possessions, with only a 15-12 lead in second-chance points.  Hanning went 10-13 from the floor and 3-of-4 from deep while adding four steals to her ledger tonight.  She set new career highs in points, minutes (36), field goals made and attempted, three-pointers made, and free throws made (two).  Madsen was next with 13 points and went 3-for-6 from beyond the arc.  O'Neil had 11 points, and Byon paced VU with five rebounds and a game-high seven assists. 
 
Why is it Important?  It is seven wins in a row now for the Blue and Gold and the team has a one-game lead over APU.  Most teams have now played at least five games in the conference, marking a quarter of league action in the book.  Tonight is also the second win in a row over Westmont, putting VU ahead 3-1 in the past four encounters. 
 
What was Said?  "The team was focused and they knew they had to be," said Head Coach Russ Davis.  "This was a really good team effort, and I loved how we shared the ball.  It is a quick turnaround for a real good Concordia team in 48 hours.  We need to stay locked in.  I'm happy for our team with this win."
 
 
What's Next?  CUI is 3-3 in PacWest play entering the 5:00 p.m. showdown Thursday night at CU Arena.