Another close win for Lions

COSTA MESA — After last season’s then-unbeaten and top-ranked Vanguard University women’s basketball team lost in the NAIA semifinals for the second straight season, Coach Russ Davis said the lack of some close games failed to prepare his Lions better for the NAIA Tournament.

This season, Vanguard has had no shortage of nail-biters, including Tuesday’s Golden State Athletic Conference home triumph over Cal Baptist.

In a game in which the score was tied 12 times and there were six lead changes, Vanguard (15-3, 11-1 in conference), ranked No. 4 in NAIA Division I, pulled away in the final 74 seconds to secure a valuable 74-68 win over the No. 19-ranked Lancers (12-7, 6-6).

“Last year, I wished we had had more close ones, but I don’t wish that anymore,” said Davis, whose team moved one-half game ahead of idle Point Loma Nazarene to claim sole possession of first place in the GSAC with eight regular-season conference games remaining.

“Hopefully, these close games [Vanguard has now had seven games decided by eight or fewer points] are only going to make us better.”

It was the second time Cal Baptist gave the five-time defending regular-season conference champion Lions a tough go. Vanguard trimmed off the Riverside-based school, 90-87, in the Lions’ conference opener Nov. 27.

“They’re one of the hardest teams for us to match up with,” Davis said of the visitors, who made half of their 50 field-goal attempts and also shot 50% from three-point range (10 of 20). “Their posts step outside, they’re aggressive and they are real fast and quick, so it’s just tough for us to match up with.”

The aforementioned posts, 5-foot-10 sophomore starter Bryana Williams and 5-10 junior reserve Romeka Randolph, combined for 21 points and 19 rebounds and were a collective nine of 14 from the field (64.3%).

The Lions also had trouble catching up with junior guard Nicole Davis, who had a game-high 26 points to go with her four assists. Davis, mixing vapor-trail drives with three-point bombs, was nine of 14 from the field, including four of seven from beyond the arc.

But with four starters scoring in double figures, led by freshman point guard Sarah Boyd with 21 to tie her career high, Vanguard had enough answers to extend its winning streak to four.

“[Boyd] played great and she has been playing great,” Davis said. “If you just showed up and didn’t know, there’s no way you would guess she was just a freshman.”

Boyd made her first three field-goal tries, including a pair of three-pointers, to help the hosts get off to an early lead. She was four of five from the field after intermission, including a layup created by a hesitation dribble with 1:14 remaining that gave the Lions a 72-68 lead.

Boyd, who added six assists, five rebounds and three steals, while committing just one turnover in 33 minutes, rebounded a missed three-point try by Cal Baptist after two free throws by senior Melissa Cook put the Lions up by six.

Finally, Boyd first halted, then stole the ball from Davis to end the Lancers’ final possession as the buzzer sounded.

Boyd and junior center Lauren Gregory were a combined eight of nine from the field in the first 10 minutes of the second half, as Gregory scored 11 of her 16 points after intermission. Gregory finished seven of 15 from the field, two of three from threedom.

Senior Jessica Richter finished her 14-point performance with a three-pointer that gave Vanguard a 70-65 edge with 2:27 left. It was the only three-pointer in six attempts by Richter, who made five of seven two-point tries to finish seven of 15 from the field. Richter, the reigning NAIA and GSAC Player of the Year, added five rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Vanguard, which received 15 points and a team-high eight rebounds from Cook, forced 24 turnovers and the Lions had 15 offensive rebounds to help produce 69 field-goal attempts, 19 more than the Lancers.

Vanguard shot 42% from the field and 26.7% from three-point range (eight of 30), but kept making plays to counter Cal Baptist.

The Lancers did not commit a foul the first 8:37 of the second half, but Vanguard converted a traditional three-point play on its next three possessions to help turn a 54-51 deficit into a 60-59 lead. Boyd had two of the three-point plays, powering through fouling defenders to convert layins, then sinking the subsequent free throws.

The win also helped Vanguard gain a game on third-place Azusa Pacific, which fell, 69-41, to Westmont Tuesday.

Golden State Athletic Conference

Vanguard 74, Cal Baptist 68

CB – Williams 8, Davis 26, Bradford 9, Hahn 2, Deno 1, Randolph 13, Greenberg 7, Tigget 2.

3-pt. goals – Davis 4, Bradford 3, Randolph 2, Greenberg 1.

Fouled out – None.

VU – Gregory 16, Cook 15, Boyd 21, Richter 12, Halberg 6, Pfohl 2.

3-pt. goals – Boyd 3, Cook 2, Gregory 2, Richter 1.

Fouled out – None.

Halftime – VU, 33-32.

BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at [email protected].