Men’s basketball: Lions strong effort falls short

Tony Altobelli

COSTA MESA - The Vanguard University men’s basketball team made

visiting Azusa Pacific earn this one.

Not shying away from the NAIA’s eighth-ranked Cougars, the Lions

nearly pulled off the upset, but a couple of defensive lapses proved

costly in Tuesday night’s 84-75 overtime loss at The Pit. It was both

teams’ Golden State Athletic Conference opener.

“I feel so bad for the players because they gave a tremendous effort

out there,” Vanguard Coach Stephen French said. “They played their butts

off and hung tough with one of the top teams around. We gave up some

wide-open shots down the stretch, which the good teams like Azusa will

make time after time.”

The Lions (4-8) led, 68-64 with just over two minutes remaining, but

three-pointers by Jeff Staniland and Brett Michel gave the Cougars (14-1)

an extra five minutes of life, which they took full advantage of.

Vanguard opened the overtime period with the opening basket, but Azusa

Pacific went on a 7-2 run and never relinquished its advantage from that

point on.

Two free throws by Kemmy Burgess (22 points) and one by Ardis Curtis

cut the deficit to 77-75 before another Michel trey with 25 seconds

remaining in overtime, sealed the win.

“We’ve got to tighten up certain areas of our defense so we don’t give

up those wide-open three-point opportunities,” French said. “Especially a

good three-point shooting team like Azusa.”

Coming into the contest, one of French’s main concerns was stopping

the Cougars offense and rebounding in the paint.

The Lions responded to French’s advice and outrebounded the Cougars,

22-15, and trailed only by two points after the first half.

“We played terribly in our previous game (a 91-69 loss at Cal Poly

Pomona on Saturday), so I knew we would have better intensity tonight,”

French said. “It isn’t too hard to get up for Azusa, that’s for sure.”

Burgess, Dennis Keane (18 points) and Brandon Cablay (14 points) took

control early in the second half as the Lions jumped out in front for the

first time in the game.

Cougars explosive point guard Caleb Gervin gave the momentum back to

Azusa. The six-foot sophomore leaped high into the night and slammed in a

missed Cougars’ shot, capping a 6-0 run and giving the Cougars a 43-38

lead.

The lead was four when the Lions’ guard Dennis Keane ripped off five

straight points, followed by a three-pointer from Burgess, giving the

Lions a four-point advantage with 10:26 remaining.”

After the Cougars tied the game, four made free throws by Kevin

Candelaria and Cablay pushed the lead back to four with 3:30 left in

regulation.

Another 4-0 run tied the game for Azusa before Burgess hit his fourth

three-pointer of the game. Following a successful Azusa free throw,

Cablay made a nice move to the hoop for a layup and a four-point Lions’

advantage with 2:05 remaining.

That’s when the three’s started falling on the Cougars’ side of the

court.

Staniland (14 points) worked his way free and drilled a trey from the

corner with 1:40 left, cutting the lead to one.

Following a big basket by Keane, it was Michel’s turn to get open in

the corner. His three tied the game with 50 seconds left.

The Lions missed on their possession and after a scramble for the lose

ball, Azusa’s Steve McIlwain tossed up a 20-footer at the buzzer that

rimmed out.

The Lions play at Cal Baptist on Thursday, followed by a road trip to

Fresno Pacific on Saturday. Both games begin at 7;30 p.m.