Vanguard tramples Sunbirds

Chris Yemma

In a season plagued by injury, the Vanguard University men’s

basketball team has found a way to stay alive in the Golden State

Athletic Conference.

The Lions used a total of seven players Saturday and defeated

visiting Fresno Pacific, 76-65, in Golden State Athletic Conference

action Saturday at The Pit.

The win helped Vanguard (8-8, 3-4 in the GSAC) stay at a

reasonable striking distance of the top spots in the conference.

“In order to keep pace in the conference, you’ve got to win at

home,” Vanguard Coach Bob Wilson said. “We’ve already lost one

conference game at home, so now we have to try and get one on the

road.”

With multiple players out because of injuries, and one the Lions

had to redshirt due to academic reasons, the roster is looking a

little thin. Only six players scored points against Fresno (3-12,

0-6) Saturday, two of whom combined for 46 points.

Junior Brian Kim hit 6 of 13 shots for 23 points and freshman

Brian Roberts was 7 of 9 for another 23. Roberts was also 5 of 6 from

beyond the arc, sinking four of those treys in the first half.

But it was Kim who took charge just before the close of the half

and carried it over to the second, helping the Lions increase a 36-35

halftime lead.

At the halftime buzzer, Kim drew a shooting foul from three-point

land. He made all three free-throws and then came out in the second

half and scored Vanguard’s first nine points. It was a 12-point Kim

run from the close of the half until four minutes had elapsed in the

second.

And he was having an off day.

“He didn’t shoot the ball as well tonight as he has been shooting

it,” Wilson said. “But he made some big buckets.”

Vanguard shot 62.5% from the field and 58.3% from three-point

range. The Lions held Fresno to 39.7% shooting and used a second-half

run to take a lead they wouldn’t surrender.

Kim nailed the last shot of his 12-point run at the 18:33 marker,

starting an 11-2 run that gave Vanguard a 54-43 advantage with 11:44

remaining in the game.

The Sunbirds pulled it to within 64-62 with 2:24 remaining after

Rudy Lopez drove the lane and layed it in.

But then Vanguard’s Leon Rosborough came right back down, drove

through the middle, made his shot and drew a foul.

And then the Fresno fouling spree began.

Vangaurd finished the game with a 12-3 run that was purely

free-throw shooting.

“For us to play as well as we played tonight with only seven guys

was very significant,” Wilson said. “Roberts stepped up, Kim played

well, Leon [Rosborough] played well and our big guys really played

extremely well tonight.”

The Lions are currently seated ninth in the conference, but are

only a couple of wins away from the top spot. Saturday’s win snapped

a two-game losing streak and added to the Lions’ confidence after

losing four of the last five games.

“We played well last week but lost two on the road,” Wilson said.

“We won one at home and didn’t play well at Westmont Wednesday.

“So we kind of came back and got to the level that we were playing

at.”

*

Golden State Athletic Conference

Vanguard 76, Fresno Pacific 65

Fresno -- Urbiztondo 2, Norcross 6, Lopez 17, Jones 17, Calderon

6, Beshore 3, Duckworth 11, Fowler 3.

3-pt. goals -- Norcross 2, Lopez 1, Beshore 1, Duckworth 3, Fowler

1.

Fouled out -- None.

Technicals -- None.

Vanguard -- Roberts 23, Seekins 9, Burnette 2, Rosborough 10, Kim

23, Duplessie 9.

3-pt. goals -- Roberts 5, Kim 2.

Fouled out -- None.

Technicals -- None.

Halftime -- 36-35, Vanguard.