Westmont Men’s Basketball used a 22-4 run in the second half to earn an opening night victory over NCAA Division II Alaska Anchorage. The Seawolves took a 29-27 lead into the locker room at halftime, but it was nowhere near enough to keep the Warriors down as they went on to a 65-50 win.
“I think we played with really great energy in the first half, but we lacked execution,” assessed Westmont head coach John Moore. “In the second half we played with great energy and had good execution. The unselfishness of this team is evident right now. There is a real inclusive nature to this team.”
The first half saw the Warriors shoot just 37 percent from the field in a back-and-forth battle. TJ Lipold led the Warriors’ first half efforts with eight points while CJ Miller tallied seven.
Westmont scored the first three points of the second half, but then yielded six points to Alaska Anchorage to fall behind 35-30 with seventeen minutes remaining in regulation. That is when Alaska’s shooting went cold and the Warrior run began, starting with a jumper by Brenden Hill and a three-point bomb from Miller.
“It happened with our leading scorer (Preston Branson) on the bench,” noted Moore of the run “Three subs – Brendon Hill, CJ Miller and Matt Hornbuckle – were in the game with TJ Lipold and Jordan Sachs for most of our run. Our philosophy is, “next man up.” They played like the next man up was going to play as well if not better than the guy he just came in for.”
By the time 5:52 showed on the second-half clock, the Warriors had extended their lead to 52-39.
“When Preston came back in, he took over,” noted Moore. “He made a three, he made some back cuts, he got some layups and he made important baskets for us. He was our Mariano Rivera.”
Branson ended the game with 12 points while Lipold and Miller each tallied 13. Sachs added another 10.
“I think Jordan Sachs had the best game of his college career,” said Moore. “He got the two big steals for dunks. He really knows how to get into gaps and look to get nice steals. When he does, he gets to the basket quickly and puts it down easily.”
Westmont returns to action on Saturday afternoon when they host UC Merced in what will be the Bobcats first intercollegiate game. Tip-off is scheduled for four o’clock.
