Rusty Lions still dominate, cruise to victory

COSTA MESA — With nine days passing since the Lions’ last game, Vanguard University women’s basketball coach Russ Davis said his team showed a bit of rust on Tuesday night.

The scary part for opponents was that a somewhat rusty Vanguard team can still flirt with the century mark. That must be why the Lions are ranked No. 1 in the NAIA.

Kelly Schmidt scored 23 points, Rachel Besse added 21 and Vanguard led throughout in a 98-58 runaway over California Baptist in its Golden State Athletic Conference opener at Vanguard.

It didn’t surprise Davis that the Lions (5-0, 1-0) are again ranked No. 1 in the NAIA this year, after returning all five starters from last year’s team that advanced to the NAIA semifinals.

“There’s nothing like experience,” Davis said. “Experience brings confidence, and confidence in women’s basketball is huge.”

Cal Baptist (4-2, 0-2) led just once in the game, on Erin Greenberg’s three-pointer that gave the Lancers a 5-4 lead.

Then, Vanguard’s experience made an early appearance.

Lacey Burns’ put-back gave the Lions the lead back, Schmidt made a basket then Jessica Richter hit a three-pointer from the corner, giving the Lions an 11-5 lead and prompting a Cal Baptist timeout.

“We were ready to go and fired up,” said Richter, who finished with nine points. “The longer break that we have, the more excited we are to get in here and play, especially in our home gym in front of the crowd.”

It wouldn’t get better for Cal Baptist. Vanguard came out of the timeout on a 10-3 run, ending on Tiari Goold’s three-pointer that put Vanguard up, 21-8, and sparked another Lancers timeout.

Rebounds also played a big role in the first half, which ended with Vanguard up, 47-27. Vanguard had 30 rebounds before the intermission, recording almost as many offensive rebounds (13) as total rebounds for the Lancers (14).

“We try to emphasize rebounding,” said Schmidt, the reigning NAIA Player of the Year who had a team-high eight boards to go along with her game-high 23 points. “Especially when we have some size advantage, we want to exploit that.”

In the second half, it was time for senior center Rachel Besse to shine. She scored 14 of her 21 points in the second half and, after Melissa Cook’s open three-pointer, the Lions had an 87-44 lead with five minutes left.

The 21-point total represents a season-high for Besse, who also grabbed six rebounds and blocked two shots.

“She’s a stud,” Schmidt said. “She can be in the background and then end up with 20 points. She’s come a long way since she was a freshman, and I’m excited to see what she does this year. She can be unstoppable at times.”

Vanguard plays host to The Master’s College, ranked No. 4 in the NAIA, in a key conference showdown on Saturday at 5:30 p.m.

Golden State Athletic Conference

Vanguard 98,

Cal Baptist 58

Cal Baptist -- Greenberg 16, Michel 11, Williams 10, Davis 4, McCann 3, Fisiikava 3, Mitchell 3, Sasada 3, Johnson 3, Gwacham 2.

3-pt. goals -- Greenberg 4, Davis 1, McCann 1, Fisiikava 1, Mitchell 1, Johnson 1.

Fouled out -- None.

Technicals -- None.

Vanguard -- Schmidt 23, Besse 21, Richter 9, Jacobson 8, Cook 8, Rinke 7, Goold 6, Burns 6, Blied 6, McClellan 2, Butler 2.

3-pt. goals -- Blied 2, Cook 2, Richter 1, Goold 1, Burns 1, Rinke 1.

Fouled out -- Cook.

Technicals -- None.

Halftime -- 47-27, Vanguard.