Box Score Senior guard Preston Branson made 10 of 11 shots from the floor on his way to 27 points and four assists to help lead #8 Westmont Men's Basketball (14-3, 2-0 GSAC) to a 90-72 win over San Diego Christian (4-7, 1-1 GSAC) on Saturday. "Preston made everything inside the three-point line and 75 percent from outside the three-point line," noted head coach John Moore. "I think he is starting to feel a lot more like himself." Branson, who suffered a punctured lung in a game against Westminster on December 29, showed no ill effects in Saturday's game. The Warriors' 18-point win came despite a 12-of-28 (42.9 percent) performance by the Hawks from three-point range. San Diego Christian entered the contest as the fifth-best three-point shooting team in the NAIA at 40.8 percent. "We had trouble finding guys and we need to do a better job communicating in the late game where the three-point shooters are and getting our hand up early," said Moore. "Their three-point shooting kept them in the game."
The Warriors countered, however, by shooting 74.1 percent from the floor in the second half (20 of 27) and 63.6 percent from the floor (35 of 55). C.J. Miller made seven of 13 field goal attempts, including three of six from three-point range, on his way to 20 points, 5 rebounds and three assists. Cooper Damron added another 15 points and seven rebounds while converting on six of seven field goal attempts. "Mantas (Drungys) brought a lot of good energy and Jordan Sachs has become a really good leader on the court," said Moore. "Jordan didn't score a lot (5 points), but had 13 rebounds and five assists. It is a really good game for a wing man to get that many rebounds."
At 6.7 boards per game, Sachs has become the Warriors' leading rebounder. With the win, Westmont moves to 2-0 in the GSAC in what has become an unpredictable conference. In the preseason coaches' poll, Hope International (17-1, 2-0) and Arizona Christian (12-2, 2-0) were picked to finish seventh and eighth. Those two teams are now tied for Westmont atop the GSAC standings. Meanwhile, #15 Concordia (chosen to finish first) Biola (voted third) and The Master's (picked for fourth), find themselves winless in the GSAC after two games. Vanguard and San Diego Christian are tied for fourth at 1-1 in GSAC play.
"I was just telling our guys to throw out all the favorites from past years," said Moore about the GSAC surprising results. "Hope (International) is the real deal and has one loss on the season. They are the number one defensive team in the NAIA. We see them a week from tonight." Before taking on the Royals at Murchison on January 19, the Warriors will play their first conference road game at Vanguard on Tuesday. The Lions (12-5, 1-1) are come into Tuesday's game off a 19-point win at Biola. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. [box score] [more photos]