By Christy Cain
(IRVINE, Calif.) The Westmont men's basketball team dropped the GSAC Tournament Semifinal game tonight against #7 Concordia with a final score of 58-78.
"Concordia is good. They are very, very good and sometimes quickness wins out. They are a team that  is fast all the way around and that is going to hurt you in the end" opened head coach John Moore.
The Warrior men came out of the gate with a really impressive first half. They were pushing the ball down the court, playing tenacious defense and slowing down the key shooters on the Eagles roster. It was neck and neck for most of the first twenty minutes, and when the buzzer sounded Concordia held a mere three point lead.
The Eagles really turned it on with an 8-2 burst in the second half. They worked for a nine point lead and kept coming like a tidal wave over the last 20 minutes. While the Eagles have a tall roster of many players over 6'6", it was the guards who energized them in the second half. "Our execution was good in the first half, but we got away from it in the second," explained Moore.
"Concordia got confident. Anytime you have a guy like Soto out there, he's going to make some big threes. They are very good, very deep and well coached. And on top of that, they are on their home court. Our players came in feeling very confident, but our execution in the second half was lacking."
The Warriors made a total of 21 of 54 from the field tonight, and hustled to pull down 37 rebounds.
"Our effort was always there, but our execution just wasn't where it needed to be. Against a team like this, offensive execution and staying in defensive gaps is crucial. We did everything we could to keep them out of the paint."
The Warriors have been a leader the conference with regards to three point shooting all season but tonight, going 4 for 16 from outside the arc, made for a unusual struggle. "I think we had a little bit of hesitation from the three point line. Cory Blau attacked the line and he shot very confidently. There was hesitation from our other three point shooters. But more than that, lets go back to where we started at and that is Concordia. They know our team, and were going to run a guy like Sean Harman off the three point line. That comes down to their quickness and defense."
One of the bright spots for the evening was senior Nate Marsing whose tenacious defense held 6'9" Ty Armstrong to 11 points. One would think that it would be the physical mismatch of the night, but Marsing continually went after his man. "Nate really stayed the course defensively tonight and was doing everything he could to lead," remarked Moore.
Daniel Carlin started the game with two fouls in the first half that changed the course of the second half for him, but he still managed to hold his own against the bigs and ended with 12 points, 6 rebounds. Cory Blau knocked down 14 points and Williams contributed seven.
While the conference chapter of this season is officially complete, the men will now start prepping for the third and final chapter of the 2014-15 season. The NAIA Tournament Brackets will be released on Wednesday March 11. From here on out, the men will fix their eyes on the ultimate prize as they prep for the NAIA Tournament. "I am looking forward to the time ahead with these men," closed out Moore. "They are really deserving and we are going to take the tone that has been set so far this season and run with it."
