ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The PacWest Double-Champs in Vanguard opened their quest to an NCAA title by taking on the CCAA Tournament victors in the Golden Eagles of Cal State Los Angeles. The final game of the day saw the Vanguard Lions (25-5) edge out CSULA (24-7) by 4 in a high-octane affair, taking it 79-75.
It was an all-around effort for the Lions, but Emma Schaaf was the headliner with her monster 22pts/10reb/5blks to lead the charge. Meanwhile, Kaylee Byon showed off her veteran presence with a strong second-half that wound up with her final line being 16pts (8-12 FT) along with eight assists and five boards.
Shayla O'Neil got to work fast upon her entry off the bench, finishing with 13pts (5-9 FG, 3-5 3PT).
Defensively, Vanguard held CSULA to 3-23 (.130) from downtown; their worst on the season for the team that finished 2nd in the CCAA in three-point-percentage.
The Golden Eagles were led by Nevaeh Asiasi who played the full-40, nabbing 22pts/8reb/6ast. Mariah Blake was a great spark off the bench for the opposition as well, as she had a 21pts/10reb double-double.
What Happened?:
Right away, it became clear that whoever controlled the pace would have a high probability of winning. Although Vanguard struck first, CSULA struck deepest in the first 15 minutes.
Kaylee Byon opened Vanguard's account with a signature baseline mid-range jumper where she played at her own pace, to defeat the Golden Eagle's 'ice' coverage. Micaela Hanning splashed a triple after one of Kubi's four offensive rebounds in the first-half to aid VU to an early 6-2 lead. The Lions looked formidable by establishing their press early, inducing a frenzied pace that has favored them much this season.
Unfortunately, CSULA also enjoys a frenzied pace. Hence, CSULA's offense (which ranked first in the CCAA this season at 79.1ppg) took command.
A Byon no-look dime to Kayla Boozer to make it 14-12 for the Lions with four minutes left in the opening period was the last the VU offense would look fluid for a while as CSULA established a vaunted press of their own to turn the tide.
The Golden Eagles would pepper the paint in transition, aided by six Vanguard turnovers in the last 3:30 of the quarter, en route to a 27-18 lead after one. Their success continued into the first 90 seconds of the 2nd quarter, with the lead ballooning to 11 (32-21, CSULA) forcing a VU timeout.
Then, Coach Davis got to playing chess, deploying a half-court zone defense for one of the few times all season to try to extinguish the opposition's powder keg. The Blue and Gold found success in this, and they slowly regained their footing by changing the pace. The offense finally rekindled thanks to a chef's-kiss Micaela Hanning euro-step, dancing between two salivating shot-blockers before using the rim to her advantage to finish with a reverse-layup with under-five before the half (37-31, CSULA).
A short exchange of baskets later, and 'Wemby' and O'Neil put their foot down, with the stretch-bigs damaging the interior and exterior to close the half. The two combined to outscore the Golden Eagles 12-3 by themselves over the final two minutes to send VU into the break, up 45-42.
Out of the break, and the Lions continued to confound the Golden Eagles, outshooting them by 10% in the period. A Jaryn Madsen triple was the envoy in sending the Lions toward their biggest lead of the night at 12 points late in the third quarter. But offensive rebounds allowed the Golden Eagles to remain within striking distance. CSULA hit a triple late, and the game was tight at 62-55 with 10 minutes left.
The fourth-quarter continued with the Vanguard defense holding strong in their zone. The defensive tactic was so potent, that CSULA was held to 1-19 from downtown after the change. The double-edged sword with the zone, however, was hemorrhaging on the offensive-glass, leading to key and-ones. It became a slug-fest, as fouls ramped up. Akilah Kubi and O'Neil both were perpetrators for VU, while Sofia Fidelus was the unceremonious announcement for the Golden Eagles.
VU only took eight field goals in the final frame, but they never wavered. They continued to get downhill, before ultimately the foul game allowed the Lions to salt the game away. Kaylee Byon did most of the honors, as the Blue and Gold shot 11-16 from the line in the fourth (18-24 FT on the game). With Vanguard up by three and three ticks left, Schaaf went to the charity-stripe, where she hit her first free-throw to clinch Vanguard's spot in the Round of 32.
Of note: In a season of many firsts, this team now also holds the honor of the first NCAA Tournament win for any sport in the University's history.
Entering the night, the two teams had not met since December 2017, with CSULA holding the all-time edge by winning four of the first six encounters. This was the first-time the two-sides met in postseason play.
Vanguard allowed 29 offensive rebounds, their most in the Division-II era and most since surrendering 22 to Wayland Baptist (TX) on November 24, 2023.
What's Next?: Vanguard will face the top-seed and hosts of the West Region in Central Washington tomorrow evening (7:30pm). The two sides squared off in a neutral-site bout in November, as the 58-66 defeat was VU's lone blemish before the month of January. Kaylee Byon had 25pts on 11-19 FG in that affair, while CWU's Asher Cai dropped 27pts on 10-16 from the field. A number to watch in that one will be the assist column: Central held the Lions to their fewest assists of the season (7). Vanguard has lost both of the all-time meetings, with the first coming 17 months ago in VU's inaugural season in the NCAA (L, 66-70).
