Santa Barbara, CA- In a game featuring two top 20 teams and 14 lead changes with six ties, a 14-2 run turned out to the difference in the Westmont 85-75 win over Arizona Christian on Thursday evening.  Senior Jackson Helms finished the game a perfect 8-8 from the field on his way to 16 points.

The Firestorm (14-3, 2-2 GSAC) could not have started any hotter out of the gate as they nailed their first five shots.  Helms scored first, Senior Bobby Gray was next, and Senior Sharif Watson scored his first two points before Helms scored again.  Gray gave ACU a 10-3 cushion just over three minutes into the contest.

But the Warriors (13-4, 2-2 GSAC) countered with a 10-0 run to take their first lead and the back-and-forth affair was on.

Four points in 31 seconds from Senior Chris Sterling pushed ACU back ahead.

As the teams weaved back and forth between 10 lead changes and four ties in the first half, Sterling scored five straight points to move Arizona Christian ahead 37-35 with 2:45 remaining.  Westmont used a 10-2 run to close the half and hold a 45-39 lead at the break.

Sterling topped ACU with 11 points on 5-6 shooting while Helms followed with 10 points by hitting 5-5 shots.  In fact, shooting was definitely not the problem for the Firestorm in the half as they converted 72% of their attempts from the floor (18-25).  Not attempting a single free throw in the half did not help their cause.

Head Coach Jeff Rutter commented, "Westmont took so many more shots and free throws tonight, it felt like we were always on defense.  We did not shoot a free throw in the first half and only had seven for the game so we were unable to get in our press- that had an impact."

In the first six and half minutes of the second frame nearly every basket by both teams resulted in either a tie or lead change.  Senior Brandon Newman converted seven points in a row for ACU with his two of shots forcing ties and another moving ACU in front.

With 13:22 showing on the clock, Senior Mike Navar turned a steal into a layup and the Firestorm owned a 52-51 edge.

However, the Warriors used a 14-2 run in less than three minutes to build their largest lead of 11.

A 14-5 ACU answer keyed by a three pointer from both Sophomore Trevor Clay and Junior Mishima Gray and capped by a layup from Sterling saw the Firestorm creep back within two at 72-70.

But one final Westmont run of 13-5 sealed the deal.

The Firestorm actually converted more field goals than the Warriors (33-29).  But behind the three point line Westmont was plus five in makes while finishing plus 13 at the free throw line.

Sterling (16 points) and Newman (13 points) joined Helms in double figures.

Coach Rutter added, "We did not defend the three point line very well in the first half.  We improved in the second half but did not block out and Westmont took advantage.  I was proud of the effort, we played hard but need to execute much better defensively to beat a good team like this on the road."

True fact- With the final score of 85-75, the Firestorm and the Warriors have both scored the same number of points on the season (1,453) in the same number of games played (17) to currently average the same number of points on the year (85.5- tops in the GSAC).

On Saturday, the Firestorm will take on The Master's in Santa Clarita at 4:00 pm (AT)/ 3:00 pm (PT).