Riverside, Calif. – On Friday afternoon, La Sierra University Men's Basketball loaded up and headed back down to Orange County for a matchup with Vanguard University (Costa Mesa, Calif.).

Although the Golden Eagles made a late push, the Lions were able to hang on with an 83-73 finish, dropping La Sierra to 0-2 overall.

Weston McKenney opened scoring with a quick layup off Uriel Lejtman's assist, but Vanguard pulled away around the 14:00 mark on a 14-1 run, giving themselves a 28-11 lead. With the help of Duane Darrett Jr.'s pair of threes going into the half, the Golden Eagles cut the Lions lead to 14, with a score of 47-33.

During the second half, the Lions lead expanded to 20 points, but the Golden Eagles kept chipping away until they were within six points with 2:11 left in the game, but there wasn't enough time and the Lions ended up taking home the win.

La Sierra had four starters in double digits, as Uriel Lejtman finished with 18 points, six rebounds and four assists. Weston Mckenny finished with 14 points, followed by DJ Everage and Duane Darrett Jr. with 13 points apiece.

Overall the Golden Eagles shot 45.9% (28-61) from the field, 41.7% (5-12) beyond the arch and 57.1% (12-21) from the stripe.

Next up, La Sierra Men's Basketball travels to Santa Barbara for a matchup with Westmont College.