By Christy Cain

(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) "There are two things that, if done well, will cause your team to win some basketball games. And those two things are: rebounding and playing defense. I thought our men did a great job at both of those this evening," opened head coach John Moore about Westmont's 75-49 victory of the San Diego Christian Hawks.

Despite not having played a game since last Thursday, the Westmont men stepped on the court tonight and went to work. The opening minutes of the game were a bit stop-and-go for both teams, but once the Warriors hit their stride, there was no looking back.

Westmont played fundamental basketball the entire way through. They were making quick moves, sharp turns and hard passes. They were moving the ball and getting it to open shooters. While it took some time to build a lead, the Warriors seemed to focus on capitalizing on transition plays to get points on the board.

"What is important to me is that we finished the first half well. In the last five minutes of the first half, we built a 12 point lead and even had a three pointer to go up by 15. We were focused on finding the right combinations and plays that would work for us" reflected Moore.  "We were able to correct some things before halftime and really, really finished well."

The fact that the Hawks shot 31 percent from the field in the first half and 23 percent in the second half speaks volumes to the Warriors aggressive defense. The Westmont men finished with two times as many rebounds as San Diego Christian did. Westmont closed out with 58 boards, while San Diego Christian had 27.

Daniel Carlin was a force to be reckoned with in the paint tonight.  With a team high of 19 points and eight rebounds, he was consistently putting the ball on the ground and then getting up against his defender.  The "Thunder from Down Under" certainly held true to his nickname this evening. Carlin really established himself on the inside by working the key, getting solid positioning on his defender and making plays happen.

While there were many players that performed well this evening, it was most exciting to see sophomore Sam Bentz back on the court. After being sidelined with an injury for the first part of the season, he has slowly been working his way back into the game. Tonight was the first night that he saw some extended playing time, and it was evident to see the difference that he makes on the court.

At 6-6, 210 pounds, Bentz established a presence in Murchison Gymnasium tonight. He finished the evening with six rebounds, two points, one assist and a clean bill of health.

"Sam (Bentz) was really special tonight. He makes us so much more stable out there on the court and it truly is great to have him healthy and playing again. I'm excited to have him back. He is someone who is going to make an impact on this team in the games to come," concluded John Moore.

The Warriors (12-6, 4-1 GSAC) play at home again this Saturday, January 17 against #13 Arizona Christian. It is an afternoon match-up that will tip off at 4p.m.