By JACOB NORLING
WESTMONT SPORTS WRITER
FULLERTON — It took five more minutes than usual, but the Westmont men’s basketball team (8-0 1-0 GSAC) escaped Tuesday’s matinee with its eighth consecutive win to begin the season.
After Jared Brown sent the game to overtime with a game-tying jump shot in the final seconds of regulation, Westmont outlasted Saint Katherine (3-3) in overtime to walk away with a 94-89 victory.
“Saint Katherine had a really rough game yesterday, and we were coming off of a big win,” said Westmont head coach Landon Boucher. “Coming off games like that, it can often be easy to give a game up after, if you’re hungover from a good win.
“I felt that a bit during the game. I felt it in myself. I felt it in our players. We addressed that feeling before, during, and after, but I was proud that our guys never gave in.”
Brown, who scored 20 points, was one of three Warriors including Nate Meithof and Jalen Townsell to score at least 20, with Meithof leading the pack with 22. Brown and Cade Roth both tallied a team-high six assists for the club, while Meithof collected a double-double with a team-high 11 rebounds.
Ajay Singh was clutch throughout as well, as the senior pitched in with 16 points and seven rebounds.
After Saint Katherine ended the first half with a buzzer-beating three, Westmont went into the break clinging on to a 40-39 advantage. Seven minutes into the second half, Westmont looked to have an opportunity to pull away when Townsell converted a pair of free throws to stretch the lead to 57-48.
The nine point advantage turned out to be the largest of the game for the Warriors, who saw the lead evaporate when Saint Katherine went on a 16-2 over the next five minutes, eventually taking a 64-59 lead with 8:41 to play.
Westmont wouldn’t tie the game up again until there was 1:07 left in regulation. Meithof hit a pair of free throws to give Westmont a momentary 73-72 advantage, which turned out to be one of four lead changes in the final 1:07.
With 26 seconds left on the clock, Brown converted an acrobatic layup to give Westmont a 75-74 lead. Westmont then came up with what looked to be a game-winning stop with eight seconds to play, but Saint Katherine collected an offensive rebound and the Firebird’s Cesar Meza drained a gut-wrenching 3-pointer to give Saint Katherine a 77-75 advantage.
With only four seconds on the clock, Roth inbounded a pass on the far-side of the perimeter to Brown, who was making a run towards the basket. The pass found Brown halfway between the free throw line and the three-point line, and without hesitation, Brown planted and floated a shot that found its way through the rim for a 77-77 tie.
“As the game was progressing, there was more attention on Nate,” noted Boucher. “They had trouble guarding him one on one, so we decided to use him as a decoy.
“Jalen set a really good screen on Nate first, and made it look like we were going to him. With that, we were able to get Jared a little bit of space, and he got a free shot and knocked it down.”
Saint Katherine was unable to get a shot off in the final seconds, and Westmont was ticketed for its first overtime game this season.
Westmont’s knockout punch came early on in overtime. After Saint Katherine converted an early 3-pointer during the period, Westmont responded with an 11-0 run to take control.
First, a layup by Kyler Warren pulled the club within one. Then a 3-pointer from Singh gave the club a lead they would not relinquish. Brown followed up Singh’s three with one of his own and let out a roar as he ran back down the court, as he and the Warriors began to sense victory. Another free throw from Meithof and layup from Singh capped off the eventual game-winning stretch.
Following the run, Westmont’s 88-80 lead began to shrink, with a final threat from Saint Katherine peaking with 26 seconds left to play. At that point, Saint Katherine had trimmed the deficit to three, and the Firebirds had possession in a 92-89 game.
However, when a miscommunication by the Firebirds caused a pair of teammates to fight for a loose ball, Brown swooped in with this third steal of the contest, and finished things off with a layup to seal victory.
“This group has really shown a lot of perseverance this fall,” offered Boucher. “They just never give up. At the end of regulation we were down two with four seconds to go and I called the first timeout and drew up a play we’ve never run. We went out, executed it, and called another timeout.
“Then again, we drew up another play we’ve never run, and they just got it done. I never felt any sense of giving up, and I never felt any sense of panic from the guys at any point. I think you can draw up any play you want, and if your players have that unshakable mindset, you’re going to have success.”
Westmont will now carry its undefeated record into Thanksgiving break, before returning for the club’s annual Arizona road trip during GSAC play. First up on the agenda is #4 Arizona Christian, who the club faces off against Dec. 1 in Glendale. Next Saturday, the scene shifts to Surprise, where the Warriors will take on OUAZ.
“I think we’ve learned a lot about our team from the past few games,” said Boucher. “Our team was such a new team, and now eight games in, we’re becoming not-so new. The guys are buying into their roles. Our league schedule is going to be tough, so we’re just taking it one game at a time.
“Right now, our focus is on ACU.”
Jacob Norling is the Westmont sports information assistant.
email: sports@newspress.com
