Rocklin, CA-In one of their most important matchups of the year, Menlo Men's Basketball pulled off the fourteen point victory at Jessup to complete the regular season sweep of the Warriors. The Oaks found themselves battling foul trouble and a hostile crowd but as they have done all year, the boys stayed together and rallied throughout the game answering every one of Jessup's runs with one of their own. With two remaining conference games, look to coach Rooney's team to make a run at the GSAC playoffs!
Braydon Iuli Answers the Call
Early in the game the whistle would force Menlo into uncharted territory. Star center Landon Seaman would only see 12 minutes of action due to foul trouble throughout the game. Yet, there would be a player ready to put on his cape and cowl. Braydon Iuli sensed the stage was set for him to assert himself as one of the best guards in the GSAC and promptly submitted a superhero-like effort. As the final buzzer sounded Iuli finished the night with a game high 26 points, game high nine rebounds, game high four assists and also swiped two steals. All game long Iuli put pressure on the rim looking to finish through contact including And-1 finishes and a big dunk in transition. On top of his statsheet stuffing performance, Iuli also defended potential all-conference players in Myles Corey and Ty Artis. His defense would help lead to five turnovers from Corey and 1-4 shooting from deep from Artis. The icing on the cake was Iuli only committing one foul in 37 minutes of playing time. When his team needed him, the New Zealand native made sure to be there.
A Trio of Sharpshooters Come Up Clutch
While Iuli was doing his thing, the trio of Salim Arikat, Riley Robinson and Kaito Williams were locked in from deep. The three would combine for eight made threes with Williams leading all players with four made shots from behind the arc. Williams' 18 points were huge in keeping Jessup at bay as his buckets constantly came at big moments as the Warriors attempted to seize the momentum. The Oaks lone senior has now scored in double figures four straight times. Riley Robinson has also been a great shooter since his addition to the starting lineup earlier this season. With his 67% performance from three point range today, the guard is now shooting close to 47% from three and has hit multiple shots from deep five times on the year. Lastly, 6'9 freshman Salim Arikat did exceptionally well when having to fill in for his all-conference caliber teammate. Arikat went on to score 10 points, grab four boards and also hit two threes as well. In his first year with the Oaks the potential of Arikat has been on full display. There are not many players with his size capable of distorting defenses given his ability to knock down shots from deep. It may only be his first season with coach Rooney but Arikat could quickly become a nightmare for opposing teams sooner rather than later.
Up Next…
Two games remain in GSAC conference play with both of them being played away from the confines of Haynes-Prim Pavilion. The Oaks will first take on Life Pacific before a season finale against The Master's. The Mustangs have been one of the premier teams in the conference with Menlo almost pulling off the victory but falling just short. As the old saying in sports goes, we "control our own destiny". The Oaks will look to climb back up the standings with one final push before the playoffs begin.
Menlo College is currently a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC). To learn more about Menlo Athletics visit
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