PLNU struggled on offense Saturday night in Santa Barbara, allowing the host Westmont Warriors to pull away in the second half and hand the Sea Lions a 62-46 loss.

The Sea Lions had the lead 22-21 after a low-scoring first half, but the Warriors opened the second half on a 17-6 run and never looked back. Westmont led by about 10 points for most of the second half. They began to pull away when Preston Branson hit a three-pointer with 9:15 remaining, putting them ahead 45-31.

PLNU responded with two quick buckets by Rhett Beal and James Hancock, but as was the case most of the night, a timely three-pointer by Andrew Schmalbach thwarted the Sea Lions' efforts. The Sea Lions would never get within single digits of the Warriors from that point on.

Schmalbach led all scorers with 15 points as Westmont improved to 11-6 in the GSAC, 19-7 overall. The Warriors are battling Azusa Pacific for the coveted four-seed in the conference tournament, which would allow them to host a first round playoff game. Blake Bender added 10 points in the win.

Beal and Hancock led the way for the Sea Lions with 12 and 10 points respectively. DeAndre Jones added nine points, all coming in the first half, while Robbie McDaniel grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. PLNU shot 36 percent from the field and made just 16 field goals in the loss. The Sea Lions struggled from the line as well, shooting 62 percent, and made just one three-pointer for the second consecutive game.

The Sea Lions had jumped ahead 19-11 with 8:29 remaining in the first half, after a Jones three-pointer, but the Warriors closed the gap and took the lead in the half's final minute. Paul Holtfrerich found McDaniel for a layup as time expired, regaining the lead for PLNU heading into the locker room.

The loss drops PLNU to 5-13 in GSAC play, 8-18 overall. Fortunately for the Sea Lions, Vanguard suffered a big home loss to Azusa Pacific, meaning PLNU hangs on to its half-game lead for the conference's final playoff spot.

PLNU travels to Riverside on Tuesday where they will face Cal Baptist (16-11, 9-8). The first meeting between the two teams this season was a close game from start to finish, with the Lancers coming out on top 59-55. Beal led the Sea Lions with 15 points in that game.

-Jeremiah Wood