Box Score

By Ron Smith
March 4, 2017
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) The offense efficiency of the Royals of fifth-ranked and top-seeded Hope International (25-6) proved to be too much for #18 Westmont (24-7) to overcome in the semifinals of the Golden State Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Tournament. The Royals shot 56.8 percent from the floor in their 76-61 victory. The Warriors were held to 39.0 percent shooting.
 
GSAC Player of the Year Liam Hunt tallied 17 points, 13 rebounds and three assists for Hope International while Donny Punter added another 17 points, three boards and three assists. Josh Smith contributed 15 points.
 
Olisa Nwachie lead the way for the Warriors scoring 16 points and pulling down four rebounds. Nwachie made seven of 10 field goal attempts. Westmont's Cory Blau recorded 14 points and Sean Harman posted 10.
 
The Royals jumped out to a 7-2 lead to start the game. However, three layups by Sean McDonnell put the Warriors on top 8-7 with 14:50 remaining in the first half.
 
A seesaw battle ensued over the next nine minutes with neither team holding more than a three-point advantage.
 
Down 25-22, Westmont went on an 11-0 run to go up 33-25 with 3:22 before intermission. The run started when Nwachie tipped in his own miss and Jerry Karczewski sank a 3-pointer. A pair of free throws by Karczewski were followed by a layup by Nwachie and another by Harman.
 
By the time the horn sounded for halftime, Hope International had eliminated the Warrior advantage, tying the game at 33.
 
Liam, Punter and Smith opened the second half with successive field goals to give Hope International a 39-33 lead that the Warriors would never overcome. A layup by McDonnell and a 3-pointer by Blau pulled Westmont to within one (39-38), but three straight field goals by Punter, Hunt and Deondre Bryant put the Royals up by seven (45-38) and Westmont would get no closer than four points the rest of the way.
 
With the win, Hope International advances to host the championship game on Tuesday night when they will match up against #14 The Master's Mustangs (25-4). The Master's earned a spot in the title game with an 83-68 win over second #7 Biola (26-5) in the first semifinal game.
 
Westmont will await the release the of the NAIA National Championship Bracket on Wednesday, March 8. The Warriors are expected to receive an at-large berth and make their 19th trip to the national tournament. Championship play will be held at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City beginning on Wednesday, March 15.