Box Score
By Jordan Wyatt February 15, 2014 (SANTA BARBARA, Calif.)
A sour second-half shooting percentage against Hope International Saturday evening was enough to prevent Westmont Men's Basketball from gaining ground in the Golden State Athletic Conference standings. The Warriors (15-9, 4-6 GSAC) shot 51.9 percent (14-of-27) from the floor in the first period, which garnered them a two-point lead at the intermission. However, by the time the final horn sounded, the statistic had fallen significantly. A dismal 7-of-24 (29.2 percent), 16-point performance in the latter half stalled Westmont's offense.
Consequently, the Warriors fell to the Royals by a score of 59-50. With six different Royals connecting on six of Hope International's first seven shot attempts, the visitors from Fullerton jumped out to an early 13-7 lead. Even so, the Warriors fastened their own spurt of points, utilizing a 14-2 run to retake the game 21-15. Behind the labors of junior big man Daniel Carlin (11 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block) and senior stretch-forward Jason Ritchey (11 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal), Westmont exited Kammerer Court and headed to the locker room with a 34-32 halftime advantage. Carlin and Ritchey contributed 11 and nine points respectively in the initial period, combining to shoot 9-of-11 from the field during the first 20 minutes of play. 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," commented Westmont head coach John Moore. "They kept us in the game at first, but we really didn't get much from anyone in the last 20 minutes." Westmont began the second half of play error prone and lackadaisical. Poor shot selection, turnovers, and effective offensive from the Royals quickly put Hope International back on top 40-36. The deficit grew to double-digits (53-42) with 4:22 remaining, due in part to further turnovers and the Warriors' plummeting shooting percentage. "We had 12 turnovers in the second half, and that really limited our possessions," offered up Moore. "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."
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. Arizona Christian and #22 Biola are tied for third at 5-5, and Concordia stands alone in second at 6-4 in league play. Although all teams trail ninth-ranked Vanguard (8-2), the race for second remains wide open.