Sam Bentz tallied 21 points to lead Westmont Men's Basketball (5-0) to an 81-72 win over the Eagles of Concordia (1-4) on Tuesday night. Bentz went five of 11 from the floor, including two buckets from beyond the arc, and made all nine of his attempts from the charity stripe. The junior forward also tallied a team-high four assists.
The win snapped a three-game losing streak against the Eagles and was the first victory in CU Arena since January of 2012.
Also scoring in double-figures for the Warriors were Cory Blau (16 points) and Sean Harman (14 points). Sean McDonnell (seven points) led the team in rebounding with seven while Hayden Anderson (nine points) pulled down six boards.
The score remained close throughout the contest with neither team achieving a double-digit advantage. Concordia took its largest lead with 8:20 remaining in the first half when Brian Chambers (20 points) drained a three-point shot to put the Eagles up 22-17. Westmont responded with a 7-0 run consisting of a pair of free throws by Harman, a layup by Bentz and a three-pointer by Blau.
By halftime, the lead had changed hands six times and the score had been tied another six times. At the buzzer, Westmont held a slim 41-38.
Westmont notched a six-point advantage at the start of the second half when Blau converted an 'and-one' play to put the Warriors on top 44-38. The Eagles would stay within striking distance throughout the final frame and three-times pulled to within one point. However, Westmont rebuffed each surge and never relinquished the lead.
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