Lions fall, 54-39

* COLLEGE MEN’S BASKETBALL: Vanguard University held 21st-ranked

Westmont College to 20 points in the second half, but fell, 54-39, to

the 16-6 Warriors in a defensive Golden State Athletic Conference

basketball battle at the Pit on the Vanguard campus.

Westmont College took a 34-14 lead into intermission after holding

Vanguard to 22% shooting from the field in the first 20 minutes.

The Warriors made 14 of 29 from the field to earn the 20-point

edge as Chris Clark supplied 10 pints for the offense and Kevien

Blomstrom grabbed six first-half rebounds. Vanguard made only 4 of 18

field goal attempts, going 0 for 5 from beyond the arc. And, the

Lions had nine first-half turnovers.

The Lions turned up the defense in the second half, holding the

Warriors to 20 points on 26% shooting and pulled of a slight

rebounding edge to outscore the visitors, 25-20.

Mitch Pierce ended with a game-high 12 rebounds for Westmont,

which improved to 9-3 in the GSAC.

Freshman Leon Rosborough scored 12 points to lead the Lions, and

Tim Burnette grabbed a team-high seven rebounds and added seven

points.

Vanguard drops to 5-18 overall and 1-11 in the GSAC.

* COLLEGE BASEBALL: Vanguard University was a 2-0 winner over

Chapman University in nonconference baseball at Hart Park in Orange

Saturday.

The Lions got a complete-game six-hit shutout performance from

Marcus Harris, who struck out four and walked one.

Vanguard (5-3) won it with two in the ninth as Jason Brunett

helped load the bases with a single and Jonathan Bower drew a

bases-loaded walk. Scott Zine followed with a single down the right

field line to push it to 2-0.

Chapman had two runners in scoring position with two out in the

bottom of the ninth, but Jeff Levering’s liner to center was snagged

for the game-ender.

Chapman falls to 0-3.

* JC BASEBALL: Orange Coast College’s baseball team tied East Los

Angeles, 9-9, and dropped a 4-3 decision to San Diego Mesa in the

Southwestern Tournament Saturday.

Dustin Hicks went 3 for 4 with a three-run homer, a double and 6

RBIs in the opener.

San Diego Mesa scored twice in the bottom of the eighth to pull

out the 4-3 verdict. Joey Morrison had a double and single for Orange

Coast.

The Pirates (6-1-1) wrap it up today at 2 p.m. at Southwestern.

* COLLEGE SOFTBALL: Vanguard University ran its record to 4-1-1

with a nonconference doubleheader sweep of visiting California

Lutheran. Marciea Ball tossed a seven-hitter in a 3-2 victory in the

opener. Beth Burchell had two hits and scored a run, and Celina

Camarillo drove in Ashley Mauro with the winning run. In the

nightcap, Krystal Keltner scattered six hits and struck out eight in

a 4-1 victory. Lisa Jackson had two hits and Andie Smidt had a

two-run single for the Lions.

* WRESTLING: Four Newport Harbor High wrestlers qualified for

CIF at Westminster Feb. 21-22 at the Sea View League Finals Saturday

at Irvine High. Two-time league champion Nate Geier (24-5) went 3-0

to claim the 135-pound crown; Kid Lim (19-8) was second at 112;

heavyweight Phil Gerard (10-9) was third; and Tony Pinon is an

alternate after finishing fourth at 152.

* JC TRACK AND FIELD: Orange Coast men and women both swept to

the Orange Empire Conference Relays championship on Friday at Santa

Ana College. Shaun Walker won the javelin at 175-6, 17 feet further

than his nearest competitor ... Andrew Cary won the 400-meter hurdles

in 58.80 ... Jasmine Geider edged her sister, Hanni, to give the OCC

women a 1-2 finish in the 400 hurdles .. Jasmine was second in the

javelin at 77-0 ... Kelly Brown won the triple jump in 31-6 and was

second in the 100 hurdles at 18.10 ... Jennifer Finaldi won the pole

vault at10-0.

* WATER POLO: UC Irvine’s women’s water polo team lost to

Hartwick, 7-4, and Cal State Bakersfield, 7-6, in the first two

rounds of the UC San Diego Invitational Saturday.