Lions fall short again

SAN DIEGO — If reaching the precipice of success is the greatest way to prepare for being successful, then the Vanguard University women’s basketball team has done all it can to get ready for the NAIA Division I Tournament that begins March 19 in Jackson, Tenn.

Trouble is, those pesky falls off that precipice into the abyss of heart-wrenching defeat are becoming more and more frequent and, potentially, debilitating.

Such was the case Monday night in the championship game of the Golden State Athletic Conference Tournament at regular-season champion Point Loma Nazarene.

The Sea Lions, ranked No. 3 in Division I, rallied from 20 points down in the final 12-plus minutes to earn a stunning 68-67 victory Feb. 26 at Vanguard to sweep the series with the No. 4-ranked Lions and essentially lock up the regular-season crown, the first in six seasons not won by Vanguard.

Just less than two weeks later, it was Vanguard that rallied in the second half, only to see the hosts score the winning basket with 10 seconds left. The hosts then defended the Lions’ final attempt to halt their one-Point Loma deficiency, as in coming up one point short in consecutive losses after falling, 86-65, in their first meeting this season.

The 53-52 Point Loma triumph Monday upped the winning streak to 22 for the Sea Lions (28-2), who after tipping the long rebound on Melissa Cook’s errant 10-foot pull-up just outside the left side of the lane with about four seconds left, converged in a screaming celebratory pile near midcourt.

For Vanguard (24-5) it was another divot in the competitive confidence that has congealed by losing only three games the two previous seasons. Both of those campaigns, the Costa Mesa-based powerhouse held the top national ranking for most of the regular season and carried it into the NAIA Tournament.

Monday’s loss featured a late scoring drought for Coach Russ Davis’ Lions, who were ahead, 49-42, with 5:09 left, only to be outscored, 11-3, down the stretch.

Vanguard junior Lauren Gregory, whose ability to find a seam in the Point Loma defense inside led to 10 second-half points, broke a 51-51 tie by making the second of two free throws to put the Lions on top with 2:11 left.

After both teams exchanged turnovers and missed field-goal attempts, 6-foot-2 sophomore center Colleen Planeta rebounded a missed 14-foot jumper by fellow all-conference performer Kerra Sutton-Wodarski and banked in a 10-foot turnaround jumper with 10.6 seconds remaining.

It was the sixth Point Loma putback of the game, the fourth of the second half, and left the Lions one final possession with which to break the magic spell the Sea Lions have seemed to hold over them this season.

Cook, who had scored 12 of her game-high 19 points after halftime, received a pass near midcourt and dribbled past the foul line, before pulling up for an open jumper.

But it was 63-year-old Point Loma Coach Bill Westphal, who had told his team before this his ninth season at the helm that he would neither retire nor die before beating Vanguard, who was able to exalt in the aftermath.

“My main thought is, we were very, very fortunate,” said Westphal, the brother of hoops legend Paul Westphal. “During our winning streak, we’ve had a series of games that could have gone either way. But we just found a way to win them.”

Planeta (16 points and 10 rebounds) and Sutton-Wodarski (14 points) were the primary reasons the hosts kept Vanguard at bay.

Another was limiting Lions senior guard Jessica Richter, the two-time conference Player of the Year who was also NAIA Player of the Year last season, without a field-goal attempt.

Richter converted all six of her foul shots, a season-low in points, and led the Lions with 11 rebounds and three steals, but was not close to her 20.1 per-game scoring average.

“They were doubling her every time she touched the ball,” Davis said. “I thought we played horrible in the first half, but we came back to lead late. I hope this makes us better.”

Vanguard shot 24.1% from the field in the first half (seven of 29), but made nine of 18 from the field the final 20 minutes. The Lions were just four of 20 from three-point range (20%), as was Point Loma (three of 15).

But Point Loma finished 40.4% from the field to Vanguard’s 34%.

Vanguard freshman point guard Sarah Boyd had seven points and three assists to help the Lions overcome a 29-22 halftime deficit.

Golden State Athletic

Conference Tournament

Final

Point Loma Nazarene 53,

Vanguard 52

VU – Cook 19, Gregory 12, Boyd 7, Richter 6, Halberg 0, Rinke 4, Pfohl 4.

3-pt. goals – Cook 3, Boyd 1.

PLN – Manjarrez 2, Planeta 16, Sutton-Wodarski 14, Ector 10, Hilbelink 5, McGuire 4, Holm 2.

3-pt. goals – Planeta 1, Hilbelink 1, Sutton-Wodarski 1.

Halftime – PLN, 29-22.

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