Another close win for Lions

COSTA MESA — After last season’s then-unbeaten and top-ranked Vanguard University women’s basketball team lost in the NAIA semifinals for the second straight season, Coach Russ Davis said the lack of some close games failed to prepare his Lions better for the NAIA Tournament.

This season, Vanguard has had no shortage of nail-biters, including Tuesday’s Golden State Athletic Conference home triumph over Cal Baptist.

In a game in which the score was tied 12 times and there were six lead changes, Vanguard (15-3, 11-1 in conference), ranked No. 4 in NAIA Division I, pulled away in the final 74 seconds to secure a valuable 74-68 win over the No. 19-ranked Lancers (12-7, 6-6).

“Last year, I wished we had had more close ones, but I don’t wish that anymore,” said Davis, whose team moved one-half game ahead of idle Point Loma Nazarene to claim sole possession of first place in the GSAC with eight regular-season conference games remaining.

“Hopefully, these close games [Vanguard has now had seven games decided by eight or fewer points] are only going to make us better.”

It was the second time Cal Baptist gave the five-time defending regular-season conference champion Lions a tough go. Vanguard trimmed off the Riverside-based school, 90-87, in the Lions’ conference opener Nov. 27.

“They’re one of the hardest teams for us to match up with,” Davis said of the visitors, who made half of their 50 field-goal attempts and also shot 50% from three-point range (10 of 20). “Their posts step outside, they’re aggressive and they are real fast and quick, so it’s just tough for us to match up with.”

The aforementioned posts, 5-foot-10 sophomore starter Bryana Williams and 5-10 junior reserve Romeka Randolph, combined for 21 points and 19 rebounds and were a collective nine of 14 from the field (64.3%).

The Lions also had trouble catching up with junior guard Nicole Davis, who had a game-high 26 points to go with her four assists. Davis, mixing vapor-trail drives with three-point bombs, was nine of 14 from the field, including four of seven from beyond the arc.

But with four starters scoring in double figures, led by freshman point guard Sarah Boyd with 21 to tie her career high, Vanguard had enough answers to extend its winning streak to four.