Westmont Men’s Basketball (21-7, 13-6 GSAC) put itself into position to take a shot at a third-place finish in the Golden State Athletic Conference standings by defeating Vanguard in Costa Mesa by a score of 88-69. The Warriors are currently tied for third place in the GSAC with #24 Azusa Pacific (20-9, 13-6 GSAC) and will take on the Cougars on Monday night at Murchison Gymnasium in the final game of the regular season.
“It was a good win for us,” said Westmont Head Coach John Moore. “I was encouraged by the way we played. Everything about it indicated that we were ready to play. (Former Coach) Chet Kammerer was here for the game and said that that the team has a different demeanor and confidence to it.”
Senior shooting guard Andrew Schmalbach made five of nine shots from beyond the arc to tally 15 points and push his career scoring total to 1,014 points. Schmalbach becomes the thirty-sixth member of the Warriors’ millennial club and is currently at number 33 on the career scoring list.
“Andrew’s shooting touch is back,” said Moore. “He has shot it very well the last few games. CJ (Chris Jackson) and others found him wide open at the three-point line and he was very aggressive.”
Junior center Evan Haines scored 10 points but more impressively pulled down 18 rebounds to help Westmont out-rebound the Lions 45-31.
“He rebounded in his area, he rebounded outside his area and he ran down rebounds,” said Moore. “His hands were magnets for the ball. He had a lot of minutes, stayed out of foul trouble and was an important key for the victory tonight.”
Junior forward Dan Rasp, made eight of 11 attempts from the floor and led the Warriors in scoring with 21 points. He also pulled down five rebounds. Junior Blake Bender tallied another 13 points, recorded six assists and collected three boards.
Up by two points (30-28) with just over five minutes remaining in the first half, the Warriors produced a 15-3 run to close out the half and take a 45-31 advantage into the locker room. Six different Warriors scored on field goals during the run, including the first of Schmalbach’s three-pointers.
After the intermission, the Warriors picked up where they left off, producing a 14-4 run in the first four and one half minutes to make the score 59-35. The Lions would get no closer than 14 points the rest of the game.
Earlier in the day, #15 Fresno Pacific (22-7, 12-7 GSAC) lost at home to #2 Concordia (27-2, 17-2 GSAC), dropping the Sunbirds a game behind Westmont and Azusa Pacific. With the win, Concordia clinched the GSAC Regular Season Championship and with it and automatic invitation to the National Tournament. Fresno Pacific has dropped into fifth place in the conference standings.
Sixth-ranked Biola (25-4, 15-4 GSAC) assured itself a second-place GSAC finish with a 58-45 win over California Baptist (7-12, 10-9 GSAC). The Lancers are currently in seventh place, one game behind The Master’s (18-11, 11-8 GSAC) which is in sixth. The Master’s will travel to Fresno Pacific for Monday’s final game.
Currently in eighth place and seeking the final spot in the GSAC Tournament is San Diego Christian (7-22, 5-14 GSAC). But San Diego Christian, which must play Concordia on Monday, is just one-half game ahead of Point Loma Nazarene (8-20, 5-15 GSAC) and one game ahead of Vanguard.
Before the season began, Moore spoke about the final regular season match-up with Azusa Pacific saying, “I hope that game means a lot to us.”
After tonight’s game, Moore reflected on those comments. “Those are appropriate, fitting words. I would have never guessed exactly what that would mean at this point, but I had a feeling it was going to be an important game and it certainly is. I suspect it will be a very well attended game by our fans and our students as well. It should be exciting.”
