Box Score  
By Jordan Wyatt February 11, 2014 (COSTA MESA, Calif.)
Westmont Men's Basketball journeyed south to Costa Mesa Tuesday in hopes of gifting #9 Vanguard their fourth loss on the 2014 campaign, and just their second in Golden State Athletic Conference play. Yet, when the final buzzer sounded, it was the Lions (21-3, 8-1 GSAC) who handed the Warriors (15-8, 4-5 GSAC) something they haven't seen the entire season – a deciding deficit of more than 11 points. Vanguard's leading scorer, and the GSAC's second best competitor in points per game (18.6), guard Preston Wynne (22 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists), along with the GSAC's fifth leading scorer (16), guard Chris Gorman (17 points, 2 rebounds, 9 assists), put on a shooter's clinic, as the Lions dismantled the Warriors 80-58. The duo combined to shoot 11-of-14 from downtown and 100 (4-of-4) percent from the charity stripe.
"Gorman may be as good as anyone in the league, and Wynne may be as good of a shooter as there is in our league," attested Westmont head coach John Moore. "They each played very well tonight. Their play got Vanguard on a roll." The contest proved to be an extremely physical and scrappy event from the get-go, as seven team fouls were called before four full minutes had elapsed on the game clock. Furthermore, the Lions were so foul prone that the Warriors found themselves in the bonus with 15:53 remaining in the first half. However, the Warriors found it difficult to convert from the line, sinking only 10-of-21 attempts. Conversely, the Lions finished with less attempts (18), but were more efficient, sinking 12. Senior C.J. Miller (12 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist) provided the initial four points of the game for the Warriors, but as they have done all throughout GSAC play, Westmont put forth a communal effort offensively.
Five Warriors scored four points or more in the opening half, with senior Mantas Drungys (14 points, 1 rebound, 5 assists) piloting the team with 14 in the first period. Over a five minute span that climaxed at the 9:06 mark of the first half, Vanguard embarked on a 14-2 run. The streak established a 12 point (27-15) lead for the Lions as the GSAC leaders blew the game wide open. As time dissipated, the Lions' advantage would teeter, but they would not trail again. Exploiting a 54.5 percent (6-of-11) shooting performance from beyond the arc, the home team's lead would settle at seven (39-32) as the introductory 20 minutes of hoops came to a finale. Out of the break, Miller again would score Westmont's first two buckets, cutting the deficit to four. However, two treys by Wynne quickly extended the margin to 10. This didn't deflate the Warriors, as successive baskets by Miller, guard Nate Marsing (6 points, 5 rebounds), and forward Jason Ritchey (4 points, 4 rebounds) pulled Westmont within five (52-47). Once again, however, Wynne would respond to the Warrior run with another big three-point field goal. After two free throws by teammate DeAngelo Jones (12 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists), the deficit was expanded back to 10.
"We had a chance to steal the game when our guys cut it to a five-point deficit, but unfortunately we turned the ball over and didn't get the shots we wanted," explained Moore. From that point forward, the Lions sustained their remarkable shooting demonstration, pushing the pace until the scoreboard portrayed a final discrepancy of 22. Accordingly, Vanguard has now given Westmont their two largest losses of the season. "(Westmont assistant coach) Jeff Azain mentioned tonight that we've lost every Tuesday GSAC game this season," stated Moore. "It comes down to the fact that you have one less day to prepare than you do for the Saturday games. Ultimately, we need to be a little more focused in our preparation for these quick turnarounds."
In other GSAC action, both 18^th ranked Biola, and 22^nd ranked Concordia, were upset on the road. The Eagles from La Mirada fell 73-70 to San Diego Christian in El Cajon, while the Eagles from Irvine were defeated 76-67 by The Master's in Santa Clarita. Arizona Christian also lost to Hope International 69-66 to complete the Tuesday evening sweep by GSAC home squads. Even though Vanguard now holds a three-game lead in the conference standings, every other GSAC team is still in the running for a second place finish, as only two games separate the remaining seven schools. Biola and Concordia are still tied for second with 5-4 records in league play. Westmont, Arizona Christian, and San Diego Christian are now knotted up in fourth at 4-5 each, and Hope International and The Master's remain even at 3-6 for seventh place. This upcoming Saturday, the Warriors hope to break into the half of the GSAC standings as they host Hope International at 7:30 p.m.