A sour second-half shooting percentage against Hope International Saturday evening was enough to prevent Westmont from gaining ground in the Golden State Athletic Conference men’s basketball standings.
A dismal 7-of-24 (29.2 percent), 16-point performance in the latter half stalled Westmont’s offense, and the Warriors fell to the Royals by a score of 59-50.
Behind the labors of junior big man Daniel Carlin (11 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block) and senior forward Jason Ritchey (11 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal), Westmont exited Kammerer Court with a 34-32 halftime advantage.
The second half was a different story. Poor shooting, turnovers, and an effective offensive from Hope Internationl had Westmont in trouble. The Warriors fell behind 40-36, and the deficit grew to double-digits (53-42) with 4:22 remaining.
“We had 12 turnovers in the second half, and that really limited our possessions,” Westmont coach John Moore said. “Add on a poor shooting performance, and you have a very bad combination. That’s how we ended up with only 16 points to end the game.
“Hope International really did a good job of making it tough on us on the inside,” continued the veteran coach. “They forced turnovers, didn’t put us on the free-throw line, and had 20 points off of our turnovers. That says it all right there.”
Carlin and Ritchey contributed 11 and nine points, respectively, in the initial period, combining to shoot 9-of-11 from the field. However, between the duo in the second half, only two points were scored on 0-of-6 shooting (two free throws by Ritchey).
“Daniel and Jason each had really nice first halves,” John Moore said. “They kept us in the game at first, but we really didn’t get much from anyone in the last 20 minutes.”
With four games remaining in GSAC play, the Warriors find themselves in a four-way tie for fifth in the conference with the Royals, San Diego Christian, and The Master’s, whom the Warriors face off with in Santa Clarita this Tuesday.
