Senior Night turned into “Can-You-Top-This Night” for Westmont College seniors Tyler Dutton and Nasa Sete on Saturday in Murchison Gym.
The GSAC men’s basketball game against Vanguard, which the Warriors won 84-66, had already been decided as Westmont used a 17-4 run to take a 24-point lead, 71-47, with 7:19 remaining. Less than a minute later, Sete drove through the lane with a behind-the-back dribble, tossed in a difficult layup and drew a foul. He made the free throw to complete the three-point play.
“I just came out and played,” said Sete, a native of Maui, Hawaii who was donning with a lei of macadamia nuts and Rice Krispy treats after scoring seven points and grabbing four rebounds in 17 minutes.
With 3:36 remaining, Sete threw a 30-foot alley-oop pass to Dutton, who swooped in from the right side and threw down a two-hand slam, much to the delight of the crowd of 845.
In the post-game radio show, 16th-year Warrior coach John Moore said it was one of the best dunks he’s seen in Murchison.
“That was a good one to end with on the home court,” said Dutton, a four-year starting guard from Boerne, Texas who tallied 10 points and four rebounds. “It wasn’t a set play. I was telling everyone to throw it up for me.
“It’s a little crazy to think this is my last home game. It was a lot of fun.”
Earlier in the half, Dutton blocked a dunk attempt by Brandon Glenn.
“All season long, I’ve heard about him dunking,” said Sete about Dutton’s jam. “He came to me at pregame shootaround and said, ‘You better throw me one when you get in.’ I was saying ‘Yeah’ but not really thinking about it.
“I was holding it outside and I saw him point up and I thought, why not toss it up? That was a great exclamation mark — senior-to-senior on Senior Night.”
Added Moore: “There’s a lot of Senior Nights that don’t quite go this way but tonight was as good as it gets. Nasa’s pass, wow, that was senior to senior. He played some good street-ball out there.”
Westmont sophomore Dan Rasp, the fifth-leading scorer in the GSAC at 16.3, scored four points early in the game, then left with 15:53 to go in the first half after colliding with a Lion player. He injured his chin and didn’t return until the second half.
Dutton led a balanced first-half attack with eight points and the Warriors (16-12, 10-9) took a 36-30 lead into the break. There were eight ties and five lead changes in the first 20 minutes.
Rasp, a 6-6 forward, came out on fire in the second half, scoring his team’s first 10 points. He tallied 12 of his team-high 16 points in the first 5:30 of the second stanza. The Warriors stretched the lead to 16 (54-38) on two free throws by Rasp and a steal and stellar pass by Chris Jackson that led to an Andrew Schmalbach layup.
“How good was Dan Rasp in the first five minutes of the second half?” asked Moore rhetorically. “We just said, ‘Hey Dan, just go, just go … don’t pass the ball to anyone.’ ”
Andrew Ellis topped the Lions (7-21, 6-13) with 16 points. Westmont outshot the visitors 53.6 to 40.7 percent in the second half and hit all 17 of its free throws after intermission.
Jackson, a 5-9 junior with cat-like quickness, finished with 13 points, seven assists, four rebounds and four steals. He ranks second nationally in NAIA assists with a 6.8 average, which is fifth on the Warriors’ single-season chart, right behind coach Moore and assistant coach Jim Dykstra, both at 7.3.
Evan Haines added six points and nine rebounds in 18 minutes. The Warrior lead grew to 28 points, 80-52, on a reverse jam by John Miller with 5:11 remaining. All 11 players scored as the Warriors won for the fifth time in seven games.
Westmont completes the regular season on Monday at Azusa Pacific. The Warriors, currently sixth in the GSAC, will be on the road for the first round of the GSAC Tournament on Thursday.
