By Ron Smith
February 26, 2021
 
(FULLERTON, Calif.) Jared Brown poured in a career-high 38 points and Ajay Singh added another 33 as Westmont Men's Basketball (6-4, 3-2 GSAC) posted a 115-99 win over the Royals of Hope International (1-4, 1-4) on Friday afternoon.
 
"These back-to-back games are interesting games," said Westmont head coach Landon Boucher. "We almost set a scoring record on Tuesday. To try and match the intensity and enthusiasm and desire that we had Tuesday is difficult. So, going into this game we knew it would feel different. It was at their place and we knew that getting ourselves mentally and physically ready, like we were Tuesday, was going to be difficult.
 
"We were flat early and couldn't get a rhythm going," recalled Boucher. "Jared carried us in the first half by getting to the rim. He got himself going by getting layups. He found a rhythm that led to 3-pointers and to getting to the free throw line. Last game, he had seven assists so it was hard for Hope to help (guard others by pulling) off of him. Their adjustment was to not help as much, so he was able to get layups.
 
Brown made 15 of 18 attempts from the field, including three of four from 3-point range. Singh notched a double-double by pulling down 13 boards.
 
"The 33 points from Ajay is good, but I am way more excited about his five offensive rebounds and 13 total rebounds that he had. That is what we needed from him all year. We know he is a talented scorer, as he has proven over and over. Tonight, with Cade Roth limited to 21 minutes because of foul trouble, Ajay battled in there and gobbled up a lot of rebounds."
 
In addition to Singh recording a double-double, Tyler Austin posted one as well with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
 
"We play the best offense when we play defense," said Boucher. "There were minutes throughout the game when we got stops and were able to score. We shared the ball and found each other. Hunter Sipe had five assists and Tyler Austin had four. Those two combining for nine is a really good stat for us. We found each other easy shots, which is why we ended up with 115 points and shot 62%.
 
"Hunter had one of his better games of the year. He had eight rebounds, five assists and only one turnover with 14 points. He went five of eight from the field. He helped us on both ends and made a lot of big plays. He found Jared for a lot of 3-pointers. I thought Hunter did a really good job and I am excited for him to build on that tomorrow."
 
The Warriors' 115 points ties for the seventh most in the Warrior record book and is the third highest scoring total this season. Westmont posted 130 points on Tuesday, one shy of the all-time record, and 117 points against Saint Katherine on January 27. It is the fourth time Westmont has broken the century mark this season, but the first time they have done so on the road.
 
Westmont will finish off the regular season tomorrow afternoon when they return to Darling Pavilion for the third game of the series. As has been the case all season long, spectators will not be admitted to games due to state and local mandates. Fans can watch follow the action on Hope International's broadcast of the game at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/hiu/.
 
"We are focusing on finishing well," said Boucher of tomorrow's contest. "There are some players that will be playing in their final Westmont game. We want to honor them like we did at the last home game on Tuesday. It is tough to play a team at 4:00 p.m. and then turn around and play them at 2:30 the next day. It is going to be difficult for both teams. I am really excited to go to war with these guys one last time."