By Jacob Norling
January 16, 2025
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) Westmont Men's Basketball (6-10, 4-4 PacWest) got off the ropes and threw their punches of 2025 on Thursday night in Santa Barbara, when the Warriors defeated the Dominican Penguins (8-9, 3-6) 80-58. The win snapped a four-game losing streak dating back to the final days of 2024, and gave Westmont a much-needed conference win as they chase their first PacWest tournament berth in program history.
 
Westmont got going early on Thursday night, with the Warriors leading 12-4 by time of the game's first media timeout (14:50). By that point in the game, both Jarrett Bryant and Remington Rofer had each made a pair of baskets, with Rofer impressing the home crowd thanks to a shooter's touch on a couple mid-range jumpers.
 
Rofer continued his most energetic showing as a Warrior on Dominican's first possession after the timeout, with the newcomer drawing a charge to quickly regain possession for the Warriors. For good measure, Rofer banked in a shot from beyond the arc to put Westmont up double digits at 17-6. Bryant followed up with another layup of his own moments later, before the game entered its second media stoppage (19-8).
 
De'Undrae Perteete was the next Warrior to get on the board, before Bryant once again converted down low to allow Westmont to create some distance between themselves and Dominican (23-8). Moments later, Adrian McIntyre made his third basket of the night to give Westmont 25 points just after Dominican got into double-figures for the first time. With an early exclamation point, Perteete drilled another three to give Westmont a 28-12 lead heading into another timeout.
 
Westmont slowed down ever so slightly over the game's next stretch, but two more baskets from Bryant allowed the Warriors to hold serve during a slight-surge from Dominican (35-18). McIntyre, Bryant, and Aidan Mandel capped off Westmont's first half scoring, with the Warriors entering the locker room leading 40-20 over Dominican. At the break Westmont was shooting over 50% as a team (18-32), while the Warriors held the Penguins to a shooting percentage of 28% (7-25).
 
McIntyre ensured Westmont would maintain momentum right out of the in the second half, when the senior wore contact, earned a whistle, and still converted a layup to re-open the scoring. Mason Romano continued to give a packed student section reason to cheer one possession later, when the big man threw down a two-handed dunk to keep Westmont's lead above 20. The gym only grew louder when Romano followed up his dunk with a three-ball to put the Warriors up 21 (47-26). Romano then found an open Bryant underneath the hoop a minute later, enabling the junior to calmly deposit a dunk of his own (51-29).
 
Rofer then collected his first basket of the second period on Westmont's next possession, when he got himself into double-digits with his first three-pointer of the night. Rofer's fine night continued minutes later, when he connected on another triple to send Westmont into the 60's (62-38). A dry spell slowed down Westmont's pace a bit as the game entered its final stretch, by another driving layup from Bryant put the Warriors back up 24 going into the penultimate media timeout (66-42). Kevin Anigbogu got himself in the box score minutes later, when the newcomer rolled one off the glass and in.
 
Westmont hammered a nail in the coffin near the 4:30 mark, when Aidan Mandel slammed one home in breakaway fashion. It was then Dante Ogbu's turn to get in on the fun, when he landed a three pointer before celebrating with some friends in the front row (75-46). Mandel finished another slam, and Ryan Dixon converted three shots from the free throw line cap off Westmont's line on Thursday. When the buzzer went off, a happy crowd walked back to their dorms after watching the Warriors dispose of the Penguins by a final of 80-58.
 
Individually, McIntyre led Westmont with 18 points, while both Bryant and Rofer finished with 17 each. As a team, nine of Westmont's 10 active players found the bottom of the net, with the club collectively shooting 52.5% from the field (31-59). Westmont held Dominican to a 37.3% clip from the field (19-51) on a night where just about every bounce fell Westmont's way.
 
Game two of Westmont's pivotal six-game homestand continues on Saturday afternoon, when the Warriors host the Menlo Oaks at 3:00 p.m.