Harman’s Hot Hand Leads to Win

Sean Harman scored 19 points making six of seven field goals including a perfect four for four from beyond the arc to lead #12 Westmont Men's Basketball (6-1) to an 87-69 win over the Bobcats of UC Merced (1-7). The Warriors fell behind by nine points (33-21) with under six minutes to play in the first half, but closed out the opening frame on an 18-5 run to take a one-point lead (39-38) into the locker room at halftime. Harman scored seven of the Warriors' points during the run on a pair of free throws, a layup and a three-pointer. The Warriors took the lead (37-36) on a layup by Sam Bentz (11 points) with 25 seconds remaining before intermission. However, with five second to go, Cole Taira snatched the lead back for the Bobcats with a couple of free throws. An attempted layup by Stefan Inouye (4 points) rolled off the rim but Gage Shelmidine was there to tip the ball back in just before time expired, giving the Warriors the lead for good. When play resumed, Westmont used an 11-2 run to put some distance between themselves and the Bobcats. Olisa Nwachie (7 points, 6 rebounds) opened the final half with a layup. Sean McDonnell (8 points, 6 rebounds) hit a free throw before Jerry Karczewski (8 points) landed a shot from long distance. Harman capped the run with another three, giving the Warriors an advantage they would not relinquish. [box score]