Slow Second Half Dooms Warriors in Loss to SK

By BRANDON PETERSEN

It was a tale of two halves Monday night at Jordan Lawley Center, where the Westcliff men's basketball team fell to Cal Pac leader Said Katherine, 83-73.

Abdul Abdullah turned in another fantastic outing, leading the Warrior effort from the paint with a 15-point, 14-rebound double-double. 

Meanwhile, Joshua Jones went 8-of-12 from the field to finish with a team-high 19 to complement six rebounds, three assists, a steal and  a block.

"First half, we played solid in every category, shot the ball from three well, defended well, rebounded well," Westcliff associate head coach Andre Wallace said. "Second half, we put a high emphasis on keeping the ball on one side, because they do really well when the balls reversed. With their ball reversal, they were able to cut, they were able to screen, and it led to inside/outside points. We wanted one or the other, but you can't live with both because they are a very efficient team."

The Warriors battled Saint Katherine to a 36-all tie at the break, but Westcliff went cold down the stretch in the second half, and Saint Katherine took advantage of its lead at the free throw line.

"We didn't set our triangles and we didn't keep them on one side of the floor and we paid for it with early fouls," Wallace said. "They shot 100-percent on their free throws (in the second half), and that was determinant. We fouled early, they got in the bonus early, and obviously, when you're playing from behind, their coach is good enough to put them in positions to where we have to foul them." 

The Warriors celebrated Senior Night, and Jordan Reed shined, scoring 11 on 3-of-4 shooting from range. 

Emilio Quemada flashed in the first half with a triple, and Greg Walter Jr. collected a couple boards on the defensive end. 

With the loss, the Warriors finished 6-7 in Cal Pac play and 9-13 overall.

To contact Brandon Petersen, e-mail brandonpetersen@westcliff.edu.