SAN DIEGO — The Dixie State men’s basketball team earned its first Pacific West Conference victory of the season in dramatic fashion Saturday, defeating Point Loma 66-65 in San Diego.
The Storm (4-4, 1-1 PacWest) trailed 65-64 with 21 seconds remaining after PLNU forward Tanner Lancona scored on a pick-and-roll to give the Sea Lions the lead. DSU sophomore guard Trevor Hill ran the clock down to 10 seconds and made his move. Hill drove to the basket, hung in the air and scooped a shot off the window. The shot rimmed out, but sophomore forward Kyler Nielson was there to score the winning tip-in basket with 4.3 seconds remaining.
Point Loma guard Mike Planeta drove the length of the floor for a layup, but DSU forward Josh Fuller blocked the attempt to seal the win for the Storm.
Like Thursday night at California Baptist, Dixie State jumped out to an early lead behind five points from senior guard Mason Sawyer. With five minutes gone by in the first half, DSU held its largest lead of the game at 12-3. And, like Thursday night at CBU, the home team responded.
Behind the outside shooting of guard Josh Rodriguez, Point Loma went on a 19-6 run over the next seven minutes to gain a 22-18 advantage. The teams traded baskets for the remainder of the half, and PLNU led 29-25 at the break.
The Storm battled back to tie the game on three different occasions in the second half, but each time the Sea Lions responded immediately to maintain the lead, converting on 3-pointers two different times. With 9:51 remaining in the game, PLNU held a 51-48 lead.
DSU took its first lead of the second half four minutes later on a layup from senior forward Mark Ogden. Sawyer then added his second trey of the game to give the Storm a 60-57 lead with 4:38 to play. The teams continued trading baskets until the final possession, when Nielson converted the game-winner.
Dixie State shot 33 percent (26-of-77) from the field, 18 percent (2-of-11) from beyond the arc, and 60 percent (12-of-20) from the free throw line. Fuller (14 points, 12 rebounds) and Odgen (12 points, 17 rebounds) each finished with double-doubles, while Hill scored a team-high 16 points and Sawyer added 12 points.
Freshman forward Quincy Mathews from Desert Hills High School totaled four points and three rebounds in a season-high 22 minutes of play, and sophomore forward Zac Hunter finished with two points and eight rebounds. Nielson grabbed two rebounds to go with his game-winning basket.
The Storm return home for an exhibition game on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Mountain Time against Bristol University. The Bears participate in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association.
Women’s basketball
Dixie State 79, Point Loma Nazarene 69
The Dixie State women’s basketball team earned its first win of the 2015-16 season Saturday, holding off Point Loma for a 79-69 victory in San Diego.
The Storm (1-6, 1-1 PacWest) jumped on the Sea Lions early in the first quarter, taking a 14-9 lead halfway through the period. PLNU responded with 6-0 run to take the lead briefly, but DSU countered with a 7-0 run to end the period with a 21-15 lead. Sophomore center Ashlee Burge keyed the first quarter run, finishing with eight points in the period.
Point Loma seized control through the middle quarters, outscoring Dixie State 43-31 through the second and third periods behind the outside shooting of guard Madison West. However, DSU refused to go away, and the Sea Lions were unable to build a lead larger than six points.
The Storm used a big fourth quarter to pull away from the Sea Lions, outscoring PLNU 27-11 in the final period to seal the victory behind eight points from senior center Taylor Mann and key 3-pointers from senior guard Chermayne Moore and junior guard Aliya Davis.
Dixie State shot 50 percent (29-of-57) from the field, 31 percent (5-of-16) from downtown, and 84 percent (16-of-19) from the free throw line, while racking up 20 assists as a team. Mann recorded her fourth double-double of the season, finishing with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Burge and senior guard Leslie Tademy also recorded double-doubles, marking three DSU players to accomplish the feat in one game. Burge had a career day, scoring a career-high 20 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, while Tademy finished with 10 points and matched a career-high with 12 assists. Davis also finished in double figures with 10 points.
The Storm complete their stretch of nine out of 10 games on the road on Saturday when they travel to Flagstaff, Arizona to battle Division I foe Northern Arizona at 2 p.m. Mountain Time.
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