When your opponent shoots better than 60 percent from the floor while your team is held to under 48 percent, you might not expect to win. However, that is exactly what #16 Westmont (13-4, 2-2 GSAC) in upsetting #7 Arizona Christian (14-3, 2-2 GSAC) in Thursday night's Golden State Athletic Conference 85-75 win.
"It was a great team win," said Westmont head coach John Moore of his team's triumph. "I thought we got fantastic play out of a number of different players. Even the guys who played short minutes – like Jonathan Harrell, Noah Blanton and David Gunn – gave us significant pieces that we need during the time that they played."
So how did the Warriors overcome a team that made four more field goals (33-29)? The answer starts with possessions. Westmont outrebounded Arizona Christian 31-29, including holding a 14-6 advantage on the offensive glass, resulting in eight additional possessions.
The Warriors gained another five possessions by taking care of the ball and committing fewer turnovers (12) than did their opponent (17). As a result, Westmont recorded 23 points off of turnovers compared to 17 by Arizona Christian.
In addition to opportunities gained through additional possessions, the Warriors took advantage of the long ball, making 11 of 21 attempts from beyond the arc compared to six of 16 for the Firestorm. Hayden Anderson went four for five from downtown while Jerry Karczewski was four of six and Cory Blau was two of three.
Finally, the Warriors got to the charity stripe three and one-half times more than the Firestorm (24-7) and turned that into a 13-point benefit (16-3).
Westmont took a 45-39 lead into the locker room at halftime, but struggled in the opening minutes of the second frame. The Warriors went nearly five minutes before scoring resulting in a 47-45 lead for the Firestorm.
With just under 13 minutes remaining in regulation, Westmont recaptured the lead (53-52) with a layup by Anderson that sparked a 14-2 Warrior run. After four successful free throws from Karczewski and a layup by Blau, Anderson and Blau nailed back-to-back three pointers to put the Warriors up 65-54.
With 5:46 to play, the Firestorm's Chris Sterling brought Arizona Christian to within two points when he completed a layup after pilfering the ball. Westmont responded, however, with a three from Karczewski off an assist by Anderson, giving the Warriors a 75-70 advantage with five minute showing on the clock.
The Firestorm pulled to within three (78-75) on a layup by Brandon Newman with 1:22 to go, but the rest of the game's scoring would come from the Warriors.
Karczewski led all scorers with 24 points and contributed four assists. Sean McDonnell posted a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds – six of which were offensive. Blau tallied 16 points and three assists while Hayden Anderson added 17 points and five rebounds.
"Hayden Anderson – what a bundle of energy, what a fantastic game," marveled Moore. "He made play after play."
In other GSAC action, William Jessup (11-5, 3-2) upset #10 Biola (17-2, 4-1) by a score of 65-59 in Rocklin. Ninth-ranked Hope International (15-2, 4-0) cruised to a 99-57 win over The Master's (4-9, 1-4) and San Diego Christian (9-6, 2-3) edged out Menlo (7-11, 4-1) by a 79-75 margin. As a result of today's games, Westmont is now tied with Arizona Christian for fourth place in the GSAC standings.
Next up for the Warriors is a date with the Oaks of Menlo next Thursday evening in Murchison Gymnasium.
