Westmont College Athletics

By Ron Smith
March 2, 2018
 
(PHOENIX) The starters set the tone as 14th-ranked Westmont Men's Basketball (23-6) got off to a 14-0 start in the quarterfinals of the Golden State Athletic Conference Tournament. The Warriors defeated William Jessup (19-12) to advance to tomorrow's semifinals for a match-up with eighth-ranked Hope International (24-4).
 
"We got great play from our starters," asserted Westmont head coach John Moore. "In games like this, playing on a neutral site, the start of the game can often determine which team remains confident and poised throughout the game. I thought our defense was outstanding as was the overall leadership of our starting group."
 
Freshman guard Kyle Scalmanini, making just the third start of his career, led the Warriors in scoring with 21 points. He also had four rebounds and four assists.
 
"That was a pretty good third-career start," quipped Moore. "He played special tonight. I told the freshman last week that they were no longer freshman, they are sophomores. Kyle played like a senior tonight."
 
Sean Harman added 17 points, four rebounds and three assists while Zac Jervis contributed 16 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Olisa Nwachie also had a double-double consisting of 13 points and 12 rebounds to go with four steals and three blocks.
 
"When you have back-to-back games, you want to have lots of people contribute. Tonight that happened. Sean played well tonight. He has become such a good leader.
 
"Zach Jervis was outstanding tonight. He did so many things well – scored inside, got other people involved, and made simple passes to the right guys at the right time.
 
"I think Olisa's energy early on especially was what made the difference. All five of our starters were very good the way they were locked in."
 
The Warriors jumped out to a 14-0 lead, refusing to let William Jessup get on the scoreboard for the first four minutes and 25 seconds.
 
"Defense this time of the year is communication and we talked very well. In playoff basketball, you have to be able to communicate and I thought we did a good job of that. I thought we trusted one another well.
 
"Our guys really believed and trusted in one another's ability to stay connected. For the meat of the game, while it was still being contested, we did a very nice job limiting their top three players."
 
Harman scored the Warriors' first seven points on a layup, a 3-pointer from the top of the arc, and a jumper in the paint. Scalmanini added a three pointer on an assist from Jerry Karczewski (6 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds) and then followed with a layup. Nwachie scored the first of his points on a pair of free throws to complete the 14-0 run.
 
Jessup would score the next seven points to cut the deficit in half (14-7) and would eventually pull to within four at 21-17 with 7:45 to play in the opening frame. However, the Warriors would respond and restore their 14-point advantage, taking a 42-28 lead into the locker room at halftime.
 
Leading 47-35 with 17:35 to play in the second half, Westmont went on a 23-3 run over the next six and one-half minutes to put the game out of reach at 72-38.
 
Tomorrow's semifinal game against Hope International is set to tip-off at 4:00 p.m. PST. The two teams split the regular season match-ups with the Warriors winning 88-84 in double-overtime in Santa Barbara on January 25 and the Royals prevailing 74-57 in Fullerton on February 24.
 
"Hope is an outstanding team and they have a day of rest over us," said Moore. "With that said, we have a playoff game under our belts. They are a tough team to play this time of the year because they play very good defense. Yet, as you saw tonight, we are a tough team to play this time of the year because we play very good defense. It will be a very good GSAC match and I think both teams are looking forward to it."
 
The winner will advance to the championship game on Monday.