Westmont men’s basketball (3-3) suffered a 79-73 overtime loss to Bellevue (Neb.) on Saturday at the San Antonio Shootout despite 21 points and six rebounds from senior guard Tyler Dutton. Dutton, who hails from Boerne, Texas which is located just outside of San Antonio, scored a total of 43 points in two games in front of fans from his hometown.
Sophomore forward Dan Rasp notched a double-double in the loss. Rasp scored 18 points and pulled down 10 rebounds.
The Bruins of Bellevue (8-1) jumped out to a 9-2 lead with a three-pointer by Jace Fredenburg (14 points) and two by Matt Imig (12 points). Westmont remained within single digits of Bellevue until just over four minutes into the second half when a layup by Jerrod Tucker (7 points) gave the Bruins a 42-32 lead.
Westmont responded with a 13-0 run, capped by a three-pointer from junior guard Andrew Schmalbach (12 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds). As a result, the Warriors claimed their first lead of the game (45-42). Schmalbach made four of eight attempts from beyond the arc while Dutton converted four of seven from long distance.
Westmont held the lead most of the rest of regulation, extending its advantage to five points (67-62) on a Dutton three-pointer with 1:25 remaining on the second-half clock.
“Bellevue hit a three with about 1:15 left,” recapped Westmont head coach John Moore. “We missed the front end of a one-and-one and they scored with about 15 seconds left to tie the game. We had an opportunity score at the end of regulation and attacked the rim but we couldn’t quite get it done.”
Overtime was not kind to the Warriors who made only one shot from the floor in the extra frame. Bellevue jumped out to a seven-point advantage in the first minute and the Warriors were unable to recover.
Westmont returns to California to begin Golden State Athletic Conference play on Thursday at Concordia. The Warriors’ home opener is scheduled for Saturday against Hope International. Both games begin at 7:30 p.m.
