December 18, 2023

Warriors Battle Against No.13 Northwestern

Video Box Score
By Francisco Claudio
 
On Saturday, the Westcliff men's basketball team had a tough task as they took on the No. 13 team in the NAIA, Northwestern College.
 
Nonetheless, the Warriors battled hard and it wasn't until late in the second half that Northwestern could pull away to get the victory over Westcliff, 61-52.
 
With the loss, the Warriors' record is now (2-6, Cal Pac 2-2) as they have a couple of more games against tough non-conference opponents in the calendar year.
 
"Tough loss," said head coach Jerred Cook. "Credit to the No. 13 team in the country. Our team had multiple chances to take complete control of the game yet we couldn't convert."
 
The Warriors had a strong first half as they had the lead for the majority of it until the last minute of play.
 
Korey Hess hit a three-pointer with 90 seconds left in the first half to give the Warriors a 21-18 lead.
 
But Northwestern replied with a 4-0 run to finish the half and would take the lead as both teams headed into the locker rooms.
 
This was the first time in the ball game that the visiting team had taken the lead up to this point.
 
The Warriors started the second half with a layup by Rayven Turner to retake a one-point lead.
 
But it was a battle from there on out as both teams went back and forth.
 
After going down by a couple of baskets, Westcliff was able to fight back and even up the score 48-48 with four minutes left in the game.
 
The visiting team would go on a 13-4 run to end the second half to get the victory and hand the Warriors their sixth loss of the season.
 
Westcliff shot 33% from the field and 16% from beyond the arc, two categories that Northwestern College was better in.
 
Westcliff struggled from the free throw line, only converting in 50% of their attempts.

"I believe we beat ourselves again with missed shots at the rim, missed free throws, and choice of shot selection," Cook said. "We are getting better, playing a better brand, and winning the categories we want but unfortunately this one did not equal to winning outcome."
 
Up next, the Warriors have one more home game in December as they will take on Thompson Rivers University on Monday, December 18th

"I expect our intangibles and things that don't show up on the stat sheet to be much more improved as we continue to grow as a basketball team in December," Cook said. "It's important to learn from these tough non-conference battles."