ALL TIED UP

By Brandon Petersen

California Pacific Conference play tightened into a four-way tie Saturday night as Westcliff men's basketball fell 67–49 to Simpson, leaving the league deadlocked at 1–1 after a night of results that shuffled, but did not separate, the standings.

Pacific Union defeated Stanton earlier in the evening after Stanton knocked off Simpson on Thursday, while Westcliff had beaten Pacific Union two nights earlier. When the dust settled, all four teams sat even atop the conference.

On the floor, Simpson controlled the game defensively from start to finish, holding Westcliff to 36.4 percent shooting and just 20 points in the second half. Westcliff trailed 33–29 at halftime before Simpson pulled away after the break, outscoring the Warriors 34–20.

Westcliff struggled to find any offensive rhythm, finishing 6-of-22 from three-point range and 3-of-12 at the free throw line. No Warrior reached double figures, with Wonjin Jang leading the bench with 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting.

Simpson placed four players in double figures, led by Dylan Harms with 15 points and Jack Jillson with 14 off the bench. The Red Hawks shot 51 percent from the field and used balanced scoring to maintain separation throughout the second half.

Westcliff head coach Jerred Cook said execution, not effort, defined the night.

"We didn't come to play tonight," Cook said. "We had emphasis on how we wanted to approach the game, game-plan wise, and we weren't able to execute that. I thought we had our chances, especially in the first half and down the stretch, but we just weren't able to convert."

Cook pointed to preparation and shooting struggles as areas that need immediate attention.

"We started at the free-throw line," Cook said. "I'm not one to make excuses, but we need to get in the gym on game days. I'm going to find a way on Saturdays and game days to make sure we're getting in the gym. That helps with shootaround and just being around the guys."

Despite the offensive struggles on both sides, Cook credited Simpson's defense for setting the tone.

"You've got to give credit to Simpson," Cook said. "They held us to 49 points tonight. We're supposed to be a high-powered scoring team, so we've got to look at ourselves in the mirror first."

Cook said the response, not the result, will define the next stretch.

"We don't get much time to sulk," Cook said. "They outplayed us in a lot of the categories, so they deserve to win. We'll figure it out, but we've got to come back with a different version."

Westcliff moved to 6–5 overall and 1–1 in conference play, joining Simpson, Pacific Union, and Stanton in a four-way tie atop the league standings.

Up next, the Warriors will travel to Northern New Mexico and Nelson University in Arizona Thursday and Saturday, respectively.