PLNU notched one of its biggest victories of the season, knocking off Vanguard with a convincing 68-57 road win in the Pit, Tuesday night. Rhett Beal continued his strong play, leading the team with 21 points, while James Hancock was a force in the post, scoring 20.

In a tough road environment the Sea Lions (7-14, 4-9) put away the host Lions (4-14, 3-9) with a strong second half. With the win, PLNU passes Vanguard in the standings and now holds the conference's eight seed.

The score was tied at halftime, but the Sea Lions quickly established that the second half would belong to them. Beal knocked down a three and hit two free throws to put the Sea Lions up. Vanguard tried to battle back, but Nate Van Weelden hit back-to-back three-pointers that stretched the Sea Lion lead to 45-37 with 14:38 to play.

Vanguard and point guard Gregory Scott refused to go quietly though, running off nine unanswered points to retake the lead. A layup by Beal with 11:54 put PLNU back up. The Sea Lions would stretch that lead to 55-48 with 8:19 remaining, after a three-point play by Hancock.

Beal and Hancock led the way in the closing minutes, building the Sea Lion lead up to 12 before the end. PLNU shot 84 percent from the line in the victory. Nate Van Weelden finished with eight points, though he was unable to finish the game, while DeAndre Jones scored eight and dished out four assists.

Hancock and Beal were the team's leading rebounders with eight apiece. Nic Van Weelden added five points and Paul Holtfererich contributed four points and four boards to the win.

"It was a great win for us," said PLNU Coach Ethan Hamilton. "To lose Nate and not have Todd [Campbell] tonight, this was a very satisfying game where everyone contributed."

Scott led Vanguard with 19 points and was the only Lion in double figures. Vanguard was outrebounded 39-26 in the loss.

PLNU returns home on Saturday to host Fresno Pacific at 4:30. The Sunbirds (17-5, 7-5), a top-10 NAIA preseason team, started slow but come in hot, having just defeated #3 Biola and Cal Baptist by an average of 30 points.

-J. Wood