20 PIECE

By Brandon Petersen

The Westcliff men's basketball team handled Bethesda 87–66 on Sunday afternoon at Golden West College, using a fast start and a balanced offensive effort to improve to 3–2 on the season.

The Warriors opened with a 41–21 first half and never trailed, though the Flames were able to make it a competitive second half.

Jeramiah Paulino led the way with 16 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, finishing three assists shy of a triple-double.

Lorenzo Marsh added 15 points on 5-for-10 shooting, while D'montay Warner chipped in 13.

Michael Noulowe provided a lift off the bench with 13 points and seven rebounds on 5-of-7 shooting.

"I'm excited to see a week of practice kind of pay off in terms of the things we wanted to get better at," Westcliff head coach Jerred Cook said. "We're still not all the way where we want to be. I think we only ended up winning the second half by one point. The effort is there. Now I need us to consciously make the right decision over and over and over again."

Westcliff shot 51.4 percent from the field, assisted on 19 of its 36 baskets, and held Bethesda to 35.2 percent shooting.

The Warriors also dominated the glass 46–34, helped by Paulino's work on both ends.

Cook praised Paulino, one of the few returners from last season's championship roster, after learning how close he came to a triple-double.

"For us and for him, this was a combination of him buying in to what we're trying to get him to do," Cook said. "He's one of the leaders coming back, and we're expecting him to come out and lead us in how we're supposed to be competing day in and day out. I'm excited to see him do everything that he earned."

The Warriors will now have 12 days to prepare for a challenging Arizona two-step.

First up with a by a Dec. 19^th showdown with former Cal Pac rival Embry-Riddle.

On the 20^th, the Warriors head over to OUAZ for a 3 p.m. tip.

The Cal Pac season begins Jan. 8^th.