PLNU battled cross-town conference foe San Diego Christian on Tuesday night in El Cajon, with the Sea Lions pulling away at the end to win 72-63. Rhett Beal led the way with a game-high 20 points and fueled a strong second half for PLNU.

The teams played evenly most of the way, trading the lead 10 times. At halftime the conference match was tied at 33, but the Sea Lions began to pull away in the second half. PLNU led by as many as nine points with just over 12 minutes to play, sparked by seven unanswered points by Beal that made the score 52-43.

A late surge by the Hawks put the pressure on the Sea Lions, as SDCC took the lead 61-60 with 4:36 to play, following a three-pointer and two free throws from guard Jason Starr.

Showing signs of their growth this season, the young Sea Lions responded with an 8-0 run, beginning with a quick bucket by James Hancock to put them back ahead.

The Hawks could not recover, as the Sea Lions finished the game on a 12-3 run.

In addition to Beal, four other Sea Lions finished in double figures. Hancock had 13 and Paul Holtfrerich scored 11, giving the Sea Lions two legitimate inside presences. Nate Van Weelden finished with 11 points and Todd Campbell added 10.

Van Weelden was a key piece to the Sea Lion victory, playing all 40 minutes and grabbing a game-high four steals. Beal was the leading rebounder with eight.

The Sea Lions had another great shooting night, hitting 57 percent as a team. They also put together their best free throw shooting night of the season, hitting 17-of-21 (81 %).

Jason Starr led the way for the Hawks with 16 points. Tyler Mutton finished with 15, but was limited in the second half after a hot start.

PLNU improves to 5-8, 2-3 in the GSAC. SDCC drops to 2-11 and 0-4 in conference play.

The Sea Lions now begin a tough stretch in their schedule, beginning on Saturday night when they host Azusa Pacific (8-6, 1-3).

-J. Wood