No. 24 Southwestern Edged at No. 8 West Los Angeles
CULVER CITY, Ca. – Southwestern as a No. 24 seed, defeated No. 9 Riverside (79-74) in the first round, and was on the brink of following it up with another underdog win against No. 8 West LA. But a missed three-point opportunity to tie with eight seconds left kept the Jaguars out of the win column on Saturday night.
Southwestern gave West LA all they could handle in a gritty contest and thrilling game that saw the two sides matching each other shot-for-shot with eight ties and seven lead changes.
The Jaguars came out hot with a quick 7-0 run as 3C2A leading scorer Derek Edmond (24.5 per game), Christian Gamboa, and Emmanuel Barnett ignited the early charge. The Jags went on to extend the first half lead to 31-22 with 8:14 remaining. The Wildcats shook off early rust to connect on shots from beyond the arc trimming the Southwestern lead down to just two, 39-37 with 4:30 left in the initial period.
Halftime Score: Southwestern 52 | West Los Angeles 54
At the 15:14 mark in the second half, the Jaguars faced their largest deficit of the game 58-64. The six point difference did not decide the game at that point by any means, but it ultimately provided enough breathing room to withstand multiple second half comeback attempts by the Jags. Southwestern regained its lead 76-74 with 9:06 remaining and after a back and forth affair were ahead by three 87-84 with 3:38 to go. Minutes later with the game knotted up at 89-89, West LA went on a 6-0 spurt. The Jags answered with a three, creating a high pressure late-game sequence. Southwestern intentionally fouled and West LA missed the front end of a one-and-one to set up a potential heroic play in the game's final seconds…one pass, two passes, and a Southwestern game-tying three point jumper from the corner had the correct distance but veered slightly left to the back plate of the hoop.
Final Score: Southwestern 92 | West Los Angeles 95
The bench provided a nice lift for the Jaguars, being responsible for 23 points. Aaron Owens had 9 points and 6 rebounds, Keoni Henson had 4 points and 4 rebounds.
Derek Edmond poured in 28 points on 11 for 21 shooting from the field. Christian Gamboa also dropped 28 points on 8 for 13 shooting, including 3 of 5 from beyond the arc. Manny Barnett added 9 points, all on 3-pointers, and Tres Luzey chipped in 4 points.
After some early season struggles and growing pains, Southwestern turned their fortunes around, began to stack wins, and over the course of the season was in solid shape. Jaguar basketball was surging and played their best down the stretch. Southwestern competed more like a top-10 as opposed to a double-digit seed. In the first and second rounds of 3C2A Southern California Regional, the Jags showcased why they could not be overlooked or counted out.