By Ron Smith
March 6, 2026
 
(SAN DIEGO, Calif.) Westmont Men's Basketball is moving on to the PacWest Tournament championship game after defeating the Golden Eagles of Concordia 82-73 in the semifinals. The Warriors will take on host Point Loma tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. for the PacWest crown.
 
Jarret Bryant led the Warriors in scoring with 21 points, making seven of 11 from the floor. The senior also tallied six rebounds. Trey Thompson contributed 17 points along with six rebounds and five assists. Braedon Bigott notched 14 points, three rebounds and four assists. Aidan Madel posted 10 points and five rebounds.
 
"There were no surprises from an X's and O's surprises," said Westmont's head coach Justin Leslie. "We knew it was going to come down to the tougher team winning, doing the basics, and staying in character with who we are and what we are about as a program. I give these young men a lot of credit for embracing that challenge and what that looks like in March. It is different than in November and different than December. I thought that we responded to the challenges that the game presented."
 
The first half saw a close battle for the first 15 minutes with neither team producing more than a four-point advantage. Tied at 24 points apiece with four and one-half minutes left in the first half, Thomson was fouled on a layup and converted the old-fashioned three. Then Michael Olaly collected an offensive rebound and scored on a putback to give Westmont a 29-24 lead with 3:45 remaining.
 
A jumper in the paint by Thompson gave Westmont a seven-point advantage (31-24), before Concordia's Macarhy Morris scored on an and-one play to make it a 31-27 game. With 36 seconds to play, Olaly scored from beyond the arc, giving Westmont a 34-27 lead at the half.
 
Thompson led the way offensively for the Warriors in the opening frame, scoring 15 points.
 
"We had success last time against Concordia with ball screens, so we went back to that," said Thompson. "Aidan Mandel and Jarrett Bryant set great screens. We have a bunch of dudes that take respect on the defense. They have to close out on JB so that opens the gaps for me. Then in the second half, Jarrett got into it. It was a really great job by JB and the rest of the guys."
 
Westmont held on to the lead for the first 13 minutes of the second frame, but Concordia whittled into the Warriors' margin until a jump shot by Morris made the score 58-57 in favor of the Golden Eagles. However, Concordia's  lead would not last long.
 
Westmont responded with a 13-2 run to go in front 70-60 with two and one-half minutes remaining. Bryant started the run with a dunk before Bigott hit a floating jumper in the paint. Bryant followed with a triple, then Devon Smith grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on the putback. Caleb Gilbert scored on a fastbreak layup before Bigott capped the run with a pair of free throws.
 
Concordia did not get closer than six points the rest of the way.
 
Bryant and Bigott led the scoring efforts for the Warriors in the second half, tallying 18 and 14 points respectively.
 
"We went into this game thinking, 'We can ask for permission, or we can go in and take it,' said Leslie. "This is a game for takers that want to be a part of a moment and aren't afraid of the moment. Different players stepped up at different times of the game. Michael Olaly in the first half - a freshman who has played limited minutes - helped us win a postseason game when we were fighting for our life and Aidan was in foul trouble. Braedon was off all game, then he goes eight for eight and ties the game at the free throw line. It was a collective effort, like Devon's offensive rebound putback that created the separation to go 66-60. I couldn't be more proud of this team, and to be representing Westmont in the postseason."
 
The Warriors shot 53.4% from the floor while holding the Golden Eagles to 40.6%. Westmont tallied 48 points in the paint which, as pointed out by Bryant, was indicative of their approach to the game.
 
"Pressure on the rim is something that Coach stresses every game," noted Bryant. "It is in our scout and in our keys. It is what wins us games. We had 48 points in the paint and had 17 free throws."
 
Of those 17 free throws, the Warriors made 15.
 
"It is not lost on me that this is a big deal for us," said Leslie. "There was a lot on the line. Before our season started we had a team meeting about how the regional rankings work, what goes into it and how our schedule factors in. They are starting to understand as a group what this Division II success looks like. Essentially, you schedule your way into the NCAA DII Tournament – that is part of it. It is about consistency, staying true to who you are and staying in character.
 
"As we went into this game, the question was simple. It's not branded as the NCAA Tournament, but when conference tournament play starts, it is the start of the NCAA Tournament at all levels. Understanding that, and not being paralyzed in the moment, allows us to approach this as the time to honor all the work and everything we have done to get to this point."
 
"This is my third year at Westmont," said Bryant. "I am thankful for coach Leslie, for my teammates, and thankful to God for bringing me to Westmont. It is truly a blessing and a dream come true to play in March."
 
"When I came on my visit (to Westmont) early last year, Coach told me that this is what we are going to play for," recalled Thompson. "I trusted it and our team gathered around it and we believed in it. Now we are here. We have to go take what is ours, like Coach says. I am super excited about the opportunity tomorrow."