Westmont Men’s Basketball team (8-6) kicked off 2015 with a bang this afternoon in Murchison Gymnasium as the Warriors went to work and defeated the Pacific Union Pioneers 94-51.
From the moment Daniel Carlin won the tip off, the Westmont men took control. They were moving the ball well and within one minute and thirty seconds, they were up 6-0. While the Warriors hands were hot, it was the defense that really made the difference. For fourteen of the first twenty minutes of play, Westmont held Pacific Union to just nine points and by halftime, the Westmont had exactly double the points of the Pioneers, with a score of 44-22.
While the five Westmont starters put out yet another solid performance, it was the eight players that came off of the bench that stole the show. “It is really fun when everyone gets to play. Our goal was for our bench to outscore their bench by 25 points. And our bench was not only close to that, but also outscored our own starters by 14,” started head coach John Moore.
Kyle Gordon came off the bench to earn a team high of 18 points in his 21 minutes of play this afternoon. He nailed four three-pointers in the second half and sparked continuous runs for an already very excited and efficient Westmont team.
“Kyle (Gordon) went to work in the second half, really showcasing what we are capable of from the three point line. I thought we got very good bench play out of him and Hayden Anderson, but actually all of our guys came off the bench and did some good things,” raved Moore. “It feels nice to have Sam Bentz out there, since he’s now healthy and available. He came out with four assists and did a great job.”
With four players in double-digit points, Westmont earned one of their highest shooting percentages of the season. By the end of the matchup, Westmont was shooting 60 percent from the field and 61 percent from the three point line. Every player who stepped on the court this afternoon scored at least one point. Their 24 total assists were a direct result of the way the men were moving the ball and continually getting it to open shooters. Defensively, they were able to hold the Pioneers to only 35 percent from the field, making it hard for their opponents to build a comeback.
“Ultimately, we shot the ball well. We shot better from the three-point line than we did from the field, and that says a lot since we shot an impressive 60 percent overall. Our goal was to outrebound them by 20 and we almost did that. We had a lot of hustle plays and any defense that holds a team to 35 percent is doing something right,” closed out Moore.
In addition to Gordon’s 18 points, Hayden Anderson earned 14, Sean Harman earned 13 and Cory Blau finished with 12. Daniel Carlin walked away with seven rebounds and was closely followed by freshman David Gunn who earned six.
Westmont will take the court again Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m. as they take on the La Sierra Golden Eagles in Murchison Gymnasium.
To start 2015 off with not only the highest scoring game of the season (94 points), but also the largest final point differential of the season (43 points), seems quite promising. The Warriors have continually showcased what they are made of and the heights that they can reach. As the team heads into more conference play, the remaining months of this season will push the Warriors to new limits – but the best thing about a new year is that it truly is the beginning of anything you want.
