Britton Williams
A floater by Warrior senior guard
Britton Williams with less the two seconds remaining in overtime gave #14 Westmont Men's Basketball (12-3) an 83-81 victory over host La Sierra (1-10) on Saturday night. Williams finished the game with nine points, four steals and a couple of rebounds.
"It is always nice to get a competitive win on the road," said Westmont head coach
John Moore. "We had several double-digit wins lately, but haven't had a close win on the road yet. It is very meaningful and helps build confidence in our team."
The Warriors led by 12 points with five minutes remaining in regulation, but a 14-2 run by the Golden Eagles resulted in a 72-72 tie at the end of the second frame. The game saw seven ties and 14 lead changes.
Westmont jumped out to an eight-point lead in the overtime period, with 'and-one' plays by both Williams and
David Gunn (seven points, eight rebounds) and a two-pointer by
Sean McDonnell. Once more, however, La Sierra found an answer, producing a 9-1 run that climaxed with a field goal by Keenan Braden with 6.6 seconds to go.
However, the Warriors'
David Gunn inbounded the ball to
Sean Harman who quickly forwarded a pass to Williams. Williams dribbled down the court and delivered the game winner from five feet that touched nothing but net. With 1.4 seconds on the clock, the Golden Eagles were able to get off a three-quarter court shot but it fell short as the overtime clock expired.
"It was an intense game," said Moore. "We had a few chances to extend our lead, but we missed some free throws and some open shots. Credit to them, they showed inspired play and were highly motivated. They are not a great three-point shooting team, but made crucial threes at the right time.
"
Sean McDonnell had a really nice game," said Moore of his junior forward who scored 20 points and tallied 13 rebounds. "Eleven of his rebounds were on the offensive end. Sean Harmon (13 points, nine rebounds) had a really nice game and
Hayden Anderson (11 points, seven rebounds, four steals) played really well."
With its winning streak extended to five, Westmont returns to conference play with a road game against another convocation of Eagles - those from Biola (15-1).
"Besides being an arch-rival, Biola is the first team in the NAIA to get to 15 wins," noted Moore. "They are also very well rested. We will have a light practice on Monday and get ready for a very good Biola team." [
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