Sophomore forward Dan Rasp and junior point guard Christopher Jackson each scored 18 points but it wasn’t enough to keep Westmont Men’s Basketball from falling to #6 Fresno Pacific on Tuesday night in Fresno. The Sunbirds improved their record to 24-4 overall and 17-1 in the Golden State Athletic Conference with a 97-84 win over the Warriors (15-12, 9-9 GSAC).
With the win, Fresno Pacific claims sole possession of the GSAC regular season championship, earns an automatic berth in next month’s NAIA National Championships and earns the top seed in GSAC Tournament which begins next week.
“After the game I told our guys that sometimes you learn how to win from teams that are expecting to win,” said Warriors coach John Moore, who used to coach at FPU.
“Tonight they won a GSAC Championship on their home court where they are 17-0. Hopefully we can take a little bit of their heart with us tonight and have that expectation to win so that next year it is us winning a GSAC Championship on our home court.”
Rasp made eight of nine attempts from the field and Jackson connected on nine of 15. Jackson, the NAIA’s assist leader with 6.78 per game, added seven more to his seasonal total which now stands at 183 – eighth best all-time for the Warriors. Tim Tucker and current Warrior assistant coach Jim Dykstra hold the record for most assists in a season at 274.
Senior guard Tyler Dutton put up 13 points for the Warriors while making three of seven from three-point range. Junior guard Andrew Schmalbach also made three from beyond the arc. Evan Haines recorded a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds. As a team, Westmont shot 55.6% from the floor (35 of 63).
Fresno Pacific, which shot 61.4% from the field, including 45.8% from three-point territory, scored 21 seconds into the game and led the rest of the way. By halftime, the Sunbirds had acquired a 51-39 lead. The Warriors did not get closer than 10 points in the second half.
Fresno Pacific made 11 of 24 from long distance, with no player accounting for more than two. Marcus West led the Sunbirds with 19 points while James Lewis added 18. Kendall Holmes had 11 points and Adam Kado notched 10. Todd Brown had nine points and eight rebounds.
In other Golden State Athletic Conference action, #11 Concordia (23-5, 14-4) made the fifteen minute trip to Costa Mesa to defeat Vanguard (7-20, 6-12) by a score of 87-77. California Baptist (20-7, 11-7) handed Point Loma Nazarene (14-15, 7-12) their sixth-straight loss, 79-63. Biola (20-8, 11-7) took care of business on their home court; defeating The Master’s (15-13, 7-11) by a 63-51 margin. #21 Azusa Pacific (19-9, 12-6) won 86-62 in Fullerton over Hope International (4-22, 1-17).
Despite the loss, Westmont has ensured itself no worse than a tie for sixth place in the GSAC standings and a number six seed in the conference tournament. The Warriors could finish as high as a tie for fourth place but could be seeded no higher than fifth. As a result, Westmont men’s basketball will hit the road for its first round tournament game on March 5, headed for a destination yet to be determined.
The Warriors will play their final home game of the year on Saturday when they host Vanguard at Murchison Gymnasium. Seniors Tyler Dutton and Nasa Sete will be honored for all their contributions to Westmont Men’s Basketball in a pre-game ceremony. Fans are encouraged to arrive early.
