Costa Mesa, Calif. - For the second game in a row, a slow start by the men's basketball team came back to bite them, in a 79-66 loss to #24 Vanguard University. The Lions jumped all over the Golden Eagles early, taking an 18-0 lead in the first six minutes of play.
Vanguard pushed the lead to as many as 19 points in the half, but over the next six minutes, the Golden Eagles outscored the Lions 22-9, cutting the lead to 30-24 with 7:30 remaining in the half. By the halftime buzzer, Vanguard increased their lead back to double-digits, taking a 43-32 lead in the halftime break.
The second half was a back-and-forth affair, with the Lions maintaining no less than a nine-point lead through the first 10 minutes of the half. Just past the midway point of the half, the Lions used a 6-0 run to extend their lead to 66-51 with 9:30 to play. But over the next two-plus minutes the Golden Eagles put together a 10-2 run, and once again trimming the lead to 68-61. Bu that would prove to be as close as La Sierra would get over the final seven minutes, eventually falling 79-66 in the non-conference meeting that was rescheduled from December 12. The loss drops the Golden Eagles to 2-12 on the season.
Three Golden Eagles finished the game by scoring in double-figures led by Gerald Williams who had 15 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. Keenan Braden just missed another double double, as he finished with 13 points and nine rebounds. Kevin Batiste tallied 11 points and six rebounds on the night. Two other players, Nikko Turner and Reynaldo Solorzano, each scored eight points in the loss, and delivered three assists and two assists, respectively.
Tonight was the final non-conference game for a few weeks, until the team travels to Benedictine University in mid-February. The Golden Eagles will now focus their attention on Cal Pac play. La Sierra will make their first trip to northern California this coming weekend with a tough back-to-back schedule, on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday night the team will square off against Pacific Union College (0-2, 4-6) followed by Simpson University (1-1, 3-16), on Sunday evening.
