Blake Bender and Dan Rasp each scored 17 points and Andrew Schmalbach added another 15 as No. 22 Westmont men’s basketball picked up its tenth win of the season by defeating San Diego Christian 78-66 on Saturday night in El Cajon. The Warriors scored the first 14 points of the game and held a 20-point margin at halftime (42-22).
Bender made seven of 11 attempts from the floor while Rasp was six of nine. Schmalbach, who came into the game seventh in the NAIA in three-point field goal percentage at .523, made four of seven from beyond the arc.
Westmont out-rebounded the Hawks 36-28 with Evan Haines tallying a game-high 11 boards. The Warriors held a 10-5 advantage in steals and committed just 11 turnovers compared to the Hawk’s 19.
The Warriors reached their largest lead of the game (71-41) when Schmalbach nailed a three-pointer with 7:19 remaining in the game. The win was the sixth in a row for the Warriors who improved to 10-2 overall and 2-1 in Golden State Athletic Conference play.
In other GSAC play, California Baptist defeated No. 7 Fresno Pacific in Riverside by a score of 72-64. Second-ranked Concordia defeated Azusa Pacific 86-68 on the Cougars home floor. The Master’s knocked off Vanguard 72-55 and Point Loma defeated Hope International 78-61.
As a result, the Warriors find themselves in a three-way tie for fourth place with California Baptist and Vanguard. Concordia, No. 5 Biola and The Master’s are tied for first at 3-0.
On Tuesday, Westmont will travel to Riverside to take on California Baptist. Game time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
