College men’s basketball: Lions wild
Steve Virgen
COSTA MESA - Vanguard University fans rushed the court, maddening
cheers erupted and Shane McKim was too excited to smirk after he and the
Lions men’s basketball team upset the previously unbeaten No. 1 team in
the NAIA, Golden State Athletic Conference nemesis Biola, 75-73, Saturday
night in front of 1,200, who jammed the Pit.
McKim, the Lions 30-year old starting forward, scored a team-high 20
points against the team he played for eight years ago. Vanguard senior
Damion Morbley grabbed 11 of his game-high 14 rebounds in the first half
and finished with 16 points.
Biola answered a 10-point halftime deficit, its largest disadvantage
at the break of the season, with a 15-0 run in a three-minute span,
grabbing its first lead of the game, 61-60 with eight minutes left. And
it was crunch-time down the stretch.
Vanguard sophomore guard Josh Pierson grabbed a crucial defensive
rebound with 0:06 left and then made the front end of one-and-one free
throws for the 75-73 lead. Biola junior B.J. Foster, who scored a
game-high 24 points, saw his three-pointer from the corner sail over
junior Leviticus Williamson’s outstretched right hand and bounce off the
side of the rim as time expired, igniting the Lions’ celebration that
included chants of, “Overrated!”
“This is such a great feeling,” McKim said just after smacking chests
with Vanguard fans. “It’s indescribable because even though I love what
Biola has done for me this is a great rivalry. This win means 11 out of
13 victories for us now. They were the No. 1 team in the nation. Later on
in the (GSAC) tournament, we can be deadly. We can beat anybody. It’s
hard to stop us.”
The Eagles (21-1, 11-1 in the GSAC) found it hard to stop the Lions
(12-9, 8-4), especially without Biola senior point guard Kevin Augustine,
who is averaging 19 points per game during conference play. Augustine
injured his knee Tuesday in an 82-66 win at Concordia.
“Since I’ve been here this is definitely the best win we’ve had,” said
Vanguard Coach Stephen French, who is in his third year. “This is better
than beating a (NCAA Division I) team. (The Eagles) are a tough team, No.
1 in the nation. We were fortunate we didn’t have to play against their
starting point guard. But, our guys talked about it yesterday and said,
‘Hey we’re going to win this game.’ (The Lions) were confident coming in
and gave the effort needed. They did a great job.”
Vanguard quickly took advantage of the out-of-sync Eagles from the
outset, building a 9-0 lead in the first four minutes. Pierson (seven
points) nailed a three-pointer to cap the run, prompting a Biola timeout.
Later, the Lions went on an 11-2 run covering 4:30, featuring junior
Shawn Corkery coming off the bench and lighting up the scoreboard with
two three-pointers in a 37-second span. Williamson (15 points) capped the
run with a 15-foot jumper, producing a 36-19 advantage, the Lions’
biggest lead of the night.
The Eagles earned their second lead of the game with 1:43 left, 71-70,
after Foster hit a three-pointer. Williamson answered with a drive to the
hoop and banked in a scoop shot that he was fouled on with 1:29 left.
Morbley grabbed the offensive rebound on Williamson’s missed free
throw and after a timeout, Corkery dished an assist to senior Ian Boys,
who hit a bank shot in the paint for a 74-71 lead with 0:50 left.
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