By Jacob Norling
December 13, 2025
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) Westmont Men's Basketball (5-4, 2-1 PacWest) was shorthanded on Saturday night in Santa Barbara, but what could have served as an excuse instead served as an opportunity for a group that is still trying to prove itself, both to the conference, and to their home crowd. Time will tell for the former, but for the latter, a packed Murchison Gym let it be known that they loved what they saw from a Westmont team that beat the Biola Eagles 72-61 on Kammerer Court.
 
"We knew all week it was going to be a lot different on the offensive side of the ball," acknowledged Westmont Head Coach Justin Leslie. "There was no way to sugarcoat it. We weren't going to be able to run as many of the plays as we usually do, so we knew we would be playing more out of motion and feel.
 
"Give our guys credit for one great week of practice leading up to this. We had phenomenal practices for three-straight days once we started digging into Biola and what our game plan was going to be. When we figured out what our roster situation was going to be this week, players just locked in and owned it."
 
Leslie continued, "It took us a little bit of time to find our bearings on the offensive side of the ball," acknowledged Leslie. "But we were locked in defensively, and once we established a little bit of rhythm the guys did a nice job of countering and taking advantage of what Biola gave them."
 
That counter began in the final seven-plus minutes of the first half, when Westmont turned a once-nine point deficit into a nine-point lead at halftime. After Westmont had played behind for nearly ten minutes a layup from Michael Olaly put the Warriors 22-21 with 7:11 to play in the period. Westmont would never trail again for the remainder of the half. A floater and a three-ball from Aidan Mandel gave Westmont their first multi-possession lead, and when Biola got back within one, a three-pointer from Chase Collins helped keep the Eagles at bay heading into the half's final moments.
 
With seven seconds on the clock in the first half Mandel came away with one of several blocks deep in the paint, which allowed JV Brown a chance to take the ball up the floor for a last-second look. Brown pulled up a good five feet shy of the arc on the far side of the gym, just about even with the "K" in Kammerer as he released a three-pointer just ahead of the first half buzzer. When it swished through, Brown sent the Warriors into the locker room with a nine-point lead, and sent Murchison Gym into a frenzy that was only a sign of things to come.
 
A veteran Biola squad did not go away quietly, even regaining a lead as big as four points with under 14 minutes to play in the second. Still, it was clear that this Westmont team just would not be denied on Saturday. A three from Mandel pulled Westmont back within one, before Biola quickly converted to make it a three-point game with 12:45 to play. Mandel then did what he continues to do on a more regular basis, which is follow up a big shot with an even bigger one, this time another look from downtown to draw the two sides even at 46.
 
Then, with 10:39 to play, Mandel made his second basket in as many tries, putting Westmont up 52-20. The Warriors would never trail again on Saturday. With under 10 minutes to play, it was Jarrett Bryant's turn to get in on the fun, landing a three-pointer that once again got the Murchison crowd rocking. After a few minutes of back-and-forth ball, Mandel connected once more from long range, this time putting Westmont up nine with an even five-minutes to play (62-53). Timely free-throw shooting down the stretch would put Westmont up by as many as 13, and as the clock wound down to its final ticks, Braeden Bigott began the celebration with the Westmont student section a few seconds early. With a smile the size of Texas on the Lone Star-native's face, Bigott endeared himself to the faithful by slamming the ball on the hardwood before urging the crowd to get even louder as the mission had been officially accomplished against the Warriors' old rival.
 
"The crowd was fantastic," applauded Leslie. "On both sides it was great. We had the students, a lot of alumni, and then a ton of local supporters and faculty and staff as well. It put some wind in our sails.
 
"It was really exciting to play in that environment, and in a game that we know means a great deal to a lot of people. There has been a rich tradition between the two schools for a lot of years, and to be able to share tonight in front of some previous Westmont teams was pretty exciting for our guys."
 
Generations of Westmont fans got to witness another standout night from Aidan Mandel, who led all scorers with 22 points on nine of 13 shooting. Mandel's offensive line included four three's in five tries, but the breakout star also grabbed nine rebounds, six blocks, and four steals to turn in another all-around performance. Behind Mandel in the scoring was Brown, who finished with 15 points. Braedon Bigott, who finished with a team-high seven assists, was Westmont's third scorer in double-digits (12).
 
"JV Brown was fantastic in the first half," said Leslie. "He was keeping us in it while we were trying to get our footing, and then once we did, Aidan Mandel just took over and had a fantastic game. Aidan had to deal with the challenge of going against Tyus Parrish-Tillman, their best player.
 
"It was something that Aidan took on all week, and we had a plan for him, and he executed it. I was just really proud of him."
 
The Warriors will now turn their attention to finals week, and then sometime in-between and after examinations, Leslie will prepare the Warriors with a date with Chaminade on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. in Murchison Gym.