By Jarred Davis
November 19, 2018
 
(FULLERTON, Calif.) Westmont Men's Basketball (4-1) defeated the Firebirds of Saint Katherine (1-8) by a score of 97-63 in their first game at the Hope Classic Monday night. Westmont senior guard Maxwell Hudgins finished with a season-high 21 points and Kyle Scalmanini added 17 points.
 
"Both of them led us in the first half and just did good work," said Westmont head coach John Moore. It was really nice to see Kyle step up in his first starting opportunity."
 
On the night, the Warriors held the Firebirds to 35 percent shooting and forced 18 turnovers.
 
Westmont also went on to outrebound Saint Katherine (37-25), which then led to the Warriors scoring 48 points in the paint, compared to 20 for the Firebirds.
 
"I liked our defense especially in the first half," said Westmont head coach John Moore. "I liked the way we created turnovers, that's what set the tone for the game and I think our defense was just superb."
 
After Hudgins got off to a strong start with 18 points through the first 20 minutes of play, Westmont found themselves with a 47-27 halftime advantage.
 
"In the second half, I really thought we dominated the boards," added Moore on a night where the Warriors shot 59 percent from the field. "Matthew Ramon just got carried away on the boards and got 10 rebounds for us. I liked the way he played defensively and his effort on the boards."
 
The Warriors continued to keep their foot on the gas pedal and extended its largest lead of the game to 36 points (76-40) with 6:12 remaining.
 
 In his second game as a Warrior, Desean Scott scored 10 points on 4 of 7 shooting, while Matt Ramon and Matthew Schmidt each chipped in with nine points, respectively.
 
"We had a very nice game from Desean Scott," said Moore. "Many contributions from lots of different people, so it was just a really good team win."
 
Westmont looks to continue their winning ways in Fullerton at the Hope Classic, where they will next face Nebraska Christian (3-3) on Tuesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.