By Jacob Norling
January 18, 2025
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) Westmont Men's Basketball (6-11, 4-5 PacWest) could not take advantage of Thursday night's momentum, or a 12-point first half lead in an eventual 67-64 loss against the Menlo Oaks (8-7, 3-6). After getting out to an early lead, the Warriors were out-scored 44-29 in the second half to lose a heartbreaker in game two of a pivotal six-game homestand.
 
Two nights after their most well-spread offensive attack of the year, the Warriors picked right back up where they left off. De'Undrae Perteete opened the scoring with a three-ball, before layups from Adrian McIntyre, Jarrett Bryant, and Aidan Mandel began to tally up Westmont's total. By the time of the first media stoppage, an offensive board from Mandel leading into a second-chance basket put the Warriors up 9-4 (15:15).
 
Westmont slowed down quite a bit over the next four minutes of basketball, with a floater from Bryant representing the Warriors' lone field goal during the stretch. Westmont was also unable to take advantage of a pair of trips to the free line, whereas on the other end, Menlo made their shots at the stripe to take a 13-12 lead (11:55).
 
Two quick layups in transition from McIntyre and Rofer got the Warriors rolling again, before Bryant drilled a shot from beyond the arc to cap off a lightning quick 7-0 run. After an answer from the Oaks, Adrian McIntyre picked an opponent's pocket before gliding past a pair of players en route to a transition layup. A near identical instance occurred two possessions later, but this time the culprit was Mason Romano who followed up a steal with a fast-break basket. At the time of the next media stoppage, Westmont had regained a 24-17 advantage (7:36).
 
Another acrobatic finish down low from McIntyre pushed Westmont's total to 26, which preceded another McIntyre layup after Menlo's ninth turnover of the first half. Two more successful free throws from Bryant right after the game's fourth media stoppage put Westmont up double-digits for the first time, as the Warriors entered the half's final stretch leading 30-20 (3:57). Westmont was then held scoreless for over three minutes, but Menlo could muster only two points themselves during the stretch. Menlo got back within nine ever so briefly, before a three-pointer from Bryant in the half's final seconds sent the Warriors into the locker room leading 35-23.
 
Another slow stretch of action was saved by a three out of the hands of Bryant three minutes into the second half, giving the junior 15 points on the night. McIntyre then followed up Bryant's basket with a left-handed finish at the rim, giving McIntyre 15 as well in a 42-30 game (16:13). A minute later, McIntyre flexed his way to the free throw line after getting hit on the way up, and finishing after the whistle.
 
Another three-minute dry spell found the Warriors, however, allowing Menlo to enter a media timeout at the 11:43 mark trailing by only five points (44-39). Two minutes later, a Menlo three-ball made it a one-possession game at 44-42. McIntyre pulled matters into his own hands with three layups to hold pace, as the game entered its penultimate media timeout with the Warriors leading 50-46 (5:51). At the 5-minute mark Menlo successfully cut the entire 12-point deficit to draw even at 52. Then, who else but Adrian McIntyre answered by converting both ends of an "and-one" to put Westmont back up 55-52.
 
With 3:35, a four-point swing gave the Oaks their first lead of the entire night at 56-55. Perteete drew the Warriors even with a free throw on the other end, but for three minutes in a tie game, the contest was up for grabs. The next punch was thrown by the Oaks, who let out their loudest collective roar of the night when Kareem Rowe converted the old-fashioned three-point play to make it 59-56 Menlo. The pendulum continued to swing when Perteete hit one of the biggest three-point shots of the night to tie it right back up at 59. A single free throw put Menlo up 60-59, and after an empty Westmont possession, a layup from an Oak once again put the visitors up three at 62-59. With only 57.5 seconds remaining, Perteete hit another clutch three to set The Murch on fire, once again tying things up at 62.
 
With 39.2 seconds left, a goal-tend on Westmont put Menlo back up a pair. Then, with 22.8 seconds remaining, the Warriors called timeout to decide how to try and win the game. Immediately out of the timeout the Warriors put the ball in Perteete's hands, but a third consecutive three would not go. After being forced to send the Oaks to the line, Westmont then fell down four with under 20 seconds remaining. With 12 seconds on the clock McIntyre converted a layup, but it took the Warriors almost five seconds to foul a Menlo shooter.
 
After Rowe went one of two from the line, Westmont trailed 67-64 with 7.1 seconds remaining. After a Menlo timeout, all in attendance figured the Oaks would foul to avoid a potential hero basket from the Warriors. Ironically, the Oaks let several seconds off the clock before approaching to foul a Westmont player, with McIntyre not being sent to the line until there was 2.9 seconds remaining. McIntyre could not get the first shot to fall, and then the senior was called for a lane violation while trying to intentionally miss the second.
 
Seconds later one of the tougher losses of the season went final as Westmont let one slip away 67-64. Individually, McIntyre led Westmont with 28 points, while Bryant finished the night with 15. Westmont shot just six of 29 from three-point land, and 14 of 25 from the charity stripe.
 
Game three of Westmont's six-game homestand will take place on Thursday night at 7:30, when the Warriors host the Hawaii Pacific Sharks in Murchison Gym. Thursday's game will conclude the first half of PacWest play, with Westmont currently holding a 4-5 record in conference contests.