By Zach DeMarcus
November 20, 2017
 
(FULLERTON, Calif.) Westmont Men's Basketball (6-0) defeated the Golden Eagles of La Sierra (0-6) by a score of 90-68 in their first game at the Hope Classic. Westmont senior guard Sean Harman became the 42^nd Warrior in school history to reach 1,000 career points – he had 14 on the night.
 
Westmont head coach John Moore said, "I thought we played unselfishly – especially on the offensive end. Anytime you can shoot 65 percent from the floor and 57 percent from the three point line, that's a really good sign that you're taking the right shots. I think we know what a good shot is, but we're trying to become a great shot team. I thought we showed that in the first half."
 
Olisa Nwachie scored the first two points of the game and the Warriors never gave up the lead. Their offense was stellar in the first half. They shot 65.5 percent from the floor and 57.1 percent from behind the three point line. This proved to be a key factor in them building a 16 point advantage at half time. Westmont went to the locker room up 49-33.
 
Westmont finished the game with 22 assists on their 34 baskets and only turned the ball over seven times. "That's Westmont basketball right there," said Moore. "The only place that we struggled a little bit was giving up a few too many offensive boards. That was one of our goals, and we weren't very good at that."
 
Moore said, "I thought Olisa and David Gunn were particularly strong. I think Olisa gave us great emotional energy, attacked the rim, and made some special plays for us. Gage Schelmadine had the best game of his career. I thought he was really good tonight – took good care of the ball and attacked the rim."
 
With 7:32 left in the second half, Kyle Scalmanini stole the ball and passed it off to Harman who scored on the layup. The two points were Harman's 1,000^th and 1,001^st points as a Warrior.
 
Moore added, "We can't take Sean off the floor, he's just so valuable in so many different ways. He's typically our best defender, he's a great offensive rebounder for a guard, and he doesn't miss shots. He's one of the most efficient players I've ever had.
 
"I'm not exaggerating – every single coach would want to coach Sean Harman. When I talked to his high school coaches, the assistant said, 'he's my favorite player ever.' The head coach said, 'he's one of my favorite players of all time.' It doesn't matter who's coaching – they love Sean Harman," finished Moore.
 
The Warriors finish their two-game stint at the Hope Classic tomorrow as they face Warner Pacific (Ore.). Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.