Box Score
Senior Blake Bender produced his sixth double-double of the season (14 points, 12 rebounds) and Marcus Farrand nearly had his first in a Warrior uniform (10 points, 9 rebounds), as Westmont Men's Basketball (8-3) picked up a 67-57 win against the Oaks of Menlo College (2-8) on Friday night in Murchison Gymnasium. "I don't think we have had two double-doubles in a game in a very long time and we were one rebound away it tonight," said Westmont head coach John Moore about the inside duo. "It wasn't the prettiest of games, but it is something we will feel better about each day we step away from it."


Menlo led early, taking an 11-4 advantage on a jumper by Dejon Grant (5 points) just three and one-half minutes into the game. With 11 minutes left on the first half clock, the Oaks were still up by six (16-10). Over the next three minutes, however, the Warriors went on an 11-0 run to take the lead for good. Niko Brooks (8 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists) started the run with a layup and Farrand followed suit. With just under 10 minutes remaining, Brooks struck from beyond the arc. It was the only three-pointer the Warriors would make in the game (out of six attempts) and it put Westmont up 17-16. Over a minute later, TJ Lipold (9 points, 3 steals) scored on a layup and Bender did the same to make it a 21-16 game with eight minutes to play before intermission. Westmont led throughout the second half, though twice Menlo reduced the margin to two points.The Warriors did not post a double-digit lead until the final 21 seconds of regulation.


"In the second half, we took away their leading scorer - Julian Harris. We made it a team effort to stop Harris who averages 20 points a game and had 10 at halftime." Harris scored five points in the second half to tally a team-high 15 points for the Oaks. Tim Tatum and Nick McCullar each contributed 10 points to Menlo's totals. The Warriors were without the services of leading scorers Dan Rasp and Preston Branson as well as point guard Brendan Hill. Rasp has missed the last three games with a sprained ankle while Branson has been out for two with a knee injury. Hill broke his thumb in practice and is expected to be out until the middle or end of January. "Brendan is a guy that gives you a lot of stability out there, even though he is just a freshman," said Moore. "He showed that the other night against Hope. When we had to take Niko out, we don't have anybody who is used to playing point guard. That makes it a little more challenging."


Brooks took a tumble with 7:13 left in the second half and it looked as though he might also have sustained an injury putting him out of commission. But after being attended to by Westmont's athletic trainer Jennifer Melena both on the court and on the sideline, Brooks was able to return to the game when the clock reached 4:00. "To go 3-0 without Danny, 2-0 without Preston and 1-0 without Brendan - all three of those guys were gone for tonight's game - is a tribute to our guys. Blake and Evan (Haines) deserve a lot of credit for gathering these guys together.


"I thought our defensive intensity was good," said Moore. "I liked the way Matt Hornbuckle (13 points, 5 rebounds) finished the game from the free throw line and I thought TJ Lipold was outstanding against Harris." With final examinations ending today, the Warriors will take a break and reassemble after Christmas when they will host the 35th Annual Tom Byron Classic. On Wednesday, December 29, Westmont will host Bethany Lutheran (Minn.) at 7:30 p.m. as the second game in the Classic. The early game, which tips off at 3:00 p.m., will feature Valley City State (N.D.) against British Columbia. The Classic will conclude on Thursday, December 30 with the consolation game played at three in the afternoon and the championship game contended at 7:30 p.m. Both Rasp and Branson are expected to return to the Warriors' line-up for the Tom Byron Classic.


"This is a good time to step away and enjoy the Christmas break," said Moore. "But as Dan Rasp so ably put it, 'we should go have some fun, but not to the point that we are not doing some things to stay in shape.' That was my first challenge to the guys. My other challenge was to the nine guys who have played the first 11 games of their Westmont career. It is a good time for them to evaluate their roles. We as a coaching staff will sit and evaluate those roles before they get back and we will have a chance to evaluate what are important things for this team as we go forward." [box score]