Phoenix, AZ- Thanks to shooting over 50% in all three areas of the floor, #22 Arizona Christian pulled away from #17 William Jessup for the 80-65 win on Saturday.  Senior Mike Navar tied a career high with 18 points on the strength of shooting 8-9 from the field including 2-2 from three point country.

Out of the gate, the Warriors (18-8, 10-5 GSAC) started with the early lead going up by as many as three points.  But following four ties with the final tie coming at 9-9, Senior Sharif Watson dialed in a three pointer from near straight away to give the Firestorm (21-6, 9-5 GSAC) their first lead of the afternoon.

A made free throw by Senior Jackson Helms and a three pointer out of the hands of Junior Chris Sterling gave ACU a seven point cushion.  WJU climbed back within three but that was as close as they would get the rest of the game.

After building as large as a 14 point lead, Arizona Christian settled for a 38-30 edge at halftime.  WJU's Darius Clement was the only player to reach double figures in the first 20 minutes as he scored 13.   Watson was the high point man for ACU with seven.

Out of the break, the Firestorm used a 12-0 run over a four minute span to take complete control of the game.

Twenty-two points was the largest lead for ACU as three Firestorm produced huge second halves.  Navar (who went 5-5 in the half) and Sterling both poured in 12 second half points.  Senior Bobby Gray put on a show for the fans in his final half on the floor of Fultz Memorial Gym as he notched all 10 of his points and four of his seven assists after the break.

As a team, the Firestorm shot 52.7% from the field, 50% from three point country, and 63.6% from the stripe.  On the strength of their 20 offensive rebounds, the Warriors took 16 more shots than the Firestorm (71-55) and had four reach double figures but they only shot 35.2% from the field.

Head Coach Jeff Rutter commented, "We played really well today. I thought each of our guys played well and contributed.  We continue to take steps forward defensively and that's exciting to see.  William Jessup is so big and physical and rebound so well.  They still got their share of offensive rebounds but we played really hard and kept battling.  Our seniors did a great job.  It is a special group and they will be missed. They have had so much success (55-7) at Fultz Memorial Gymnasium the last four years."

Before the game, Seniors Navar and Helms (both four year players) and Gray, Watson, Brandon Newman, Harshal Kolakkar, and Collin Woods were honored with Senior Day recognition.

On Thursday, the Firestorm will head to Hope International in Fullerton, CA, trying to lock down at least the fourth seed in the upcoming GSAC playoffs which will actually be hosted at HIU.  Tip-off on Thursday will be at 8:30 pm (AT)/ 7:30 pm (PT).  The Warriors will host Westmont on Thursday at 7:30 pm (PT).