Hawks win third-straight, break 100 versus Saskatchewan
- Updated: December 29, 2018
By Nick Pellegrino
East County Sports staff writer
SANTA CLARITA (12-29-2018) – In a season-long climb from a slow start, the San Diego Christian College men’s basketball moved to level par after easily downing the University of Saskatchewan, 103-73, in Friday’s (Dec. 28) opening round of The Master’s crossover tournament.
The Hawks (5-5 overall), owners of a 3-game winning streak, will meet the of Antelope Valley on Saturday, while The Master’s take on the school from “Canadian Kansas,”
Senior guard Derek Novsek again [aced San Diego Christian in scoring, tallying a season-best 36 points on 12-for-23 shooting. Saskatchewan’s Huskies fell to 7-6 overall.
The Hawks went on an early 20-4 run to grab the lead for keeps, as Novsek scored two quick buckets to jump-start the offense to a 20-7 lead, maintaining a double-digit lead over the majority of the rather one-sided contest.
Saskatchewan made a quick run to open the second half, trimming a 42-32 halftime deficit to 47-42, but the Hawks resoundingly answered with 56 points over the final 15 minutes, giving them a season-best 61 points for the half. Novsek started the stretch with his first triple of the contest, finishing with 5 triples among his 17 second-half points.
The Hawks bench was huge in producing the victory, as the starters (sans Novsek) tallied a mere 5 points.
Coming off the bench, Tristan Angelo registered 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting, Jacob Short added 9 points, and Richard Wright had 7.
San Diego Christian shot 55.2 percent from the floor, including 12-of-28 from beyond the arc, and 17-21 from the foul line.
Following the tournament, the Hawks return to Golden State Athletic Conference action by hosting 12th-ranked Arizona Christian on Thurs., Jan. 3, at Grossmont College.
