By Jacob Norling
February 14, 2026
 
(SAN RAFAEL, Calif.) After trailing by 11 at the half, Westmont Men's Basketball (15-9, 12-6 PacWest) exploded for 58 second-half points to defeat Dominican (15-9, 10-8) 89-81 on Saturday afternoon in San Rafael. The Warriors shot a blistering 67.86% from the field after halftime and landed 6-of-9 from three-point range in the final 20 minutes to turn what had been a 42-31 deficit into an eight-point road win.

"In that first half you have to give Dominican a lot of credit," explained Westmont head coach Justin Leslie. "They played incredibly physical, they were attacking, and they were the aggressors on both sides of the basketball. We just didn't respond well at all, and it was really disappointing to see our lack of toughness in that first half.

"At halftime, I didn't mince words. It was about accountability, and we had to own the fact that we were just failing to compete. Then, straight from the jump, we came out and erased the deficit pretty quickly."

Dominican came out hot, shooting over 50% in the first half and building a 12-point advantage late before taking an 11-point lead into the break, but the second half belonged to Westmont.

The turning point came early in the second half when the Warriors went on an 11-0 run before the period's first media timeout. From there, the game featured 19 lead changes and five ties overall, but Westmont's shot-making down the stretch proved decisive The Warriors connected on 12-of-23 from three (52.2%) and outscored Dominican 26-16 in the paint in the second half, while also capitalizing on second-chance opportunities and timely free throws to seal the victory. In total, the Warriors connected on 19 of 24 from the charity stripe.
 
"We just kept putting pressure on the rim," said Leslie. "We had 17 points in the paint in the second half and 14 points from the free throw line as well. So, 31 points just at the rim and at the free throw line finally established some offense in the paint. At that point, it made it easier to get open looks outside and make some three's as well."
 
Davon Smith led the way with 18 points and seven rebounds off the bench, while Aidan Mandel added 17 points and eight boards. Trey Thompson finished with 13 points and six assists, and Chase Collins provided a huge spark off the bench with 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting, all from beyond the arc.
 
"JV Brown got in foul trouble immediately," explained Leslie. "So, Davon went in and got a couple extended runs. In the first half, Davon was really the only bright spot we had in terms of attacking. He had nine during the first half, and he seemed to be the only one who was up for the challenge at that point.
 
"Chase Collins came in as well and made some shots. Those two just kept it close enough for us to stay in it. If not for those two, we're down 20 at the break. Davon had a rhythm, so in the second half I just went with him more. He was phenomenal. Davon just played really well on both sides of the ball, getting seven rebounds to go along with those 18 points.
 
"He wasn't going to settle for less tonight. Davon was on a mission and it was really exciting to see the team as excited as they were on his behalf. He is a fantastic freshman, and some of the freshman experience is going through the highs and lows. To come out the way he did tonight in a big game on the road has to be really exciting for him."
 
Leslie continued, "Then with Trey, he's leading the conference in assists-to-turnover ratio. It was six and one tonight, and when the game got frantic on both sides, Trey was a constant. He did a really nice job of just giving us some consistent toughness out there. As time goes on, Trey is really starting to show his leadership."
 
Westmont will look to carry the momentum into Monday's contest against Menlo, which will tip-off at 4:00 p.m.