February 13, 2023

Warriors Get Payback, After Losing the First Meeting

Video Box Score
By Francisco Claudio
 

In any sport, there are opponents who you know will be a tough battle and the outcome uncertain.

But there are also teams on the schedule that you know are very winnable games.
 
On Saturday evening, the Westcliff men's basketball team got their rematch against Pacific Union College and had a very good win, 84-71.
 
In the first encounter, the Warriors lost a close match that went into OT 99-92.
 
That definitely left a sour taste for Westcliff who knew that this time around they had to show out and play better especially if they want to qualify for the postseason.
 
The Warriors came into Saturday's game playing better basketball and on a two-game winning streak.
 
Westcliff started the game down a couple of points but quickly flipped the switch and took control of the momentum of the game.
 
After some good defensive sequences from the Warriors that led to turnovers from Pacific Union, a timely three-pointer from Cap Uzan started to give the Warriors more confidence.
 
With seven minutes into the first half, Westcliff saw themselves up 16-3.
 
And they didn't let go of the gas pedal as they extended their lead and with less than three minutes to go were up by double-digits, 40-18.
 
As the buzzer sounded and both teams walked into the locker room, the Warriors walked with a different swagger as they had built a 26-point lead.
 
In the second half, Pacific Union tried to fight back, but Westcliff was able to respond well to any attempts to make it a close ball game.
 
As the final buzzer signaled the end of the game, the Warriors winning streak would hit three, in a very important part of the season, as they try to get into the playoffs.
 
Uzan had a game-high 21 points, six rebounds, and a steal. He shot the ball well, 8-12 from the field and four of those field attempts were from beyond the arc.
 
Josh Harrison had a very solid performance overall with 19 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
 
Gary Harris came off the bench and had himself a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
 
With the win, the Warriors move up one spot into fourth place in the conference but are still one win away from qualifying for the postseason.
 
Up next will be the makeup game against Park University Gilbert, on Monday, Feb. 13.
 
The tip-off will be at 2:00 PM.