By Ron Smith
February 14, 2021
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) A day after suffering a two-point loss to Vanguard, Westmont Men's Basketball (4-4, 1-2 GSAC) turned the tables and handed the Lions a 79-78 defeat. Ajay Singh led the way for the Warriors with 21 points while Cade Roth tallied 14 points, six rebounds and six assists.
 
"Coming into this game, it was tough to pick ourselves up and muster up the energy and effort after playing the hardest we have played as a team last night," said Westmont head coach Landon Boucher. "Being down 2-0 and knowing that they had won the series, to re-up the effort and put it together as a team was not easy.
 
"It is not about basketball. It is a life lesson. When you get knocked down you have to get back up. Our guys did that. I am proud that they didn't give up.
 
"When Ajay is ready to play, we are a better team. Cade Roth involved Ajay and got him going with some easy baskets. Cade had a lot of assists to Ajay. By seeing the ball go through the rim, Ajay got more confident as the game goes on. I also think he did a better job defensively down low, which gave him confidence for the offense too."
 
Down 31-28 with 6:44 to play in the first half, Westmont went on an 11-0 run. A layup by Hunter Sipe was followed by a pair of free throws by Noah Fernando. Jared Brown and Roth then hit back-to-back threes to give Westmont a 38-31 lead. Two and one-half minutes later, Fernando completed the run with another long-range connection.
 
At the half, Westmont maintained the 10-point margin, leading 46-36.
 
Vanguard scored the first eight points of the second half, cutting Westmont's lead to just two. However, the Warriors responded with a 13-0 run over the next two and one-half minutes. Singh scored seven of the 13 points with Abram Carrasco accounting for four and Roth for two. The two runs resulted in a 59-44 Warrior lead with 14:54 remaining.
 
With 13:10 to play, Westmont took its largest lead on another layup by Singh, making the score 66-47. Over the next 12 minutes, however, the Lions battled back. With 1:14 left to play, Garrett White sank two free throws to give Vanguard the lead 78-77.
 
A missed shot by Westmont on the resulting possession gave the ball back to the Lions with 49 seconds remaining in regulation. Nico Dasac missed a jumper with 22 seconds left, but White retrieved the offensive rebound.
 
Westmont had only committed four team fouls during the half, so the Warriors were forced to foul three times to regain possession. With 12 seconds left, Isaac Davis stepped to the free throw line for a one-and-one. When Davis missed the front end, Roth snatched the rebound. Westmont brought the ball up court and called timeout with 10 seconds to play.
 
"Abram made a really big play down the stretch on a play with Cade setting him up," recounted Boucher. "Cade drove in and drew his defender and Abram was able to finish over (Aziz) Seck who had been a presence at the hoop."
 
With Carrasco's layup, Westmont held a 79-78 lead with 3.8 seconds to play but needed a stop to secure the win
 
"Jared did a great job of keeping his hands in the air and cutting Davis off," said Boucher. "When they had to go full court, to have to change directions keeps them away from the hoop."
 
Kept by Brown from getting close, Vanguard put up a desperation three that fell short as the buzzer sounded the Warrior win.
 
"I am proud of Cade these last two games," said Boucher. "He guarded one of their better players in Isaac Davis. He handled the ball out front. He ended up with six rebounds and six assists. Last night he had 10 rebounds. He is being a complete player for us when we need him the most. He is doing stuff that is not necessarily fun and he is making plays on both ends."
 
The Warriors have three more conference games to play. On Tuesday, February 23, the Warriors will host Hope International. The following Friday and Saturday, the two teams will meet up in Fullerton to conclude the conference schedule.
 
Due to State of California and local mandates, no spectators will be admitted to any of the three games. Fans can follow the action a week from Tuesday on the Westmont Sports Network by accessing https//athletics.westmont.edu or by tuning in on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV or Roku.