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Life West defeats Palmer West in 2020 Battle of the Bay

Life Chiropractic College West and Palmer College of Chiropractic West duked it out this past Friday night in the annual Battle of the Bay competition. Basketball and volleyball teams from the two schools took to the Life West gymnasium court in front of a crowd of passionate students from both institutions.

Life West basketball wins a thriller

Palmer West’s basketball squad won last year’s 2019 matchup on a last-second shot. The Dragons got off to a fast start in the 2020 contest, sprinting to a 12-3 lead early on. The Gladiator defense clamped down as the first 20-minute half rolled on, and the Dragons’ lead was cut to 36-35 at the halftime break.

“This game is going to be won by who has heart,” Life West President and head coach Dr. Ron Oberstein said at halftime, prior to festivities including allowing students to take the floor during shooting contests. “Palmer West is playing great, and we’re out there playing hard.”

The home team seemed to turn the tide once out of the locker room, as an 18-11 run gave Life West a 53-47 advantage early in the second half. The Dragons, however, roared back with 10 consecutive points in a run of their own, turning a six-point deficit into a four-point advantage as they headed into the game’s final minutes.

Life West’s Armoni Rivers, who played high school and college basketball in nearby Sacramento, responded with a flourish. He scored eight of Life West’s next 13 points on a put-back and a pair of 3-pointers, the second of which gave the Gladiators the lead for good with three minutes remaining.

Palmer West had a chance to tie on the final possession of the game. However, a desperate 3-point attempt by the Dragons’ Justin Lew at the buzzer was off the mark, and Life West students stormed the court to celebrate the 72-69 victory.

Life West volleyball prevails in straight sets

In the volleyball matchup between the schools, Life West broke open the first set of the best-of-three contest with a 10-1 run that turned a tie into a 13-4 advantage. The Dragons battled back to within shouting distance in the race to 25 points, but Life West fended them off to take the first set by a score of 25-19.

The Gladiators recorded seven of the second set’s first eight points. Palmer West kept up with Life West from that point on, but it wasn’t enough to prevent a second consecutive 25-19 score in favor of the home team, giving the contest win to Life West.

Video broadcasts of the two games were streamed online for the first time in the history of the rivalry. Watch the archive to relive the excitement.

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