The 2008-09 season came to an end tonight for #16 Westmont Women’s Basketball as the team suffered a 63-51 loss to #17 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) in the first round of the NAIA Women’s Basketball National Tournament. The Warriors ended the season with a record of 22-9, matching the highest win total of any previous year and setting the best season winning percentage in Warrior history.
Lindsey Wilson (25-8) will advance to play top-seeded and top-ranked Union (Tennessee) which boasts a record of 33-1 after defeating Jarvis Christian (Texas) this evening 86-58.
“This is obviously not the outcome that we wanted,” said Westmont Head Coach Kirsten Moore. “I thought we came in well prepared and with a good mentality and I thought we played really hard. But Lindsey Wilson played extremely well. I give them a lot of credit for the way that they play.”
Trailing 5-2 early in the game, the Blue Raiders went on an 8-0 run to take a 10-5 lead with 11:29 remaining in the first half. Senior guard Lindsey Chessum hit a three point shot from the top of the key to pull the Warriors to within two, but over the next five minutes, Lindsey Wilson outscored Westmont 14-4 to claim a 24-12 advantage with 5:23 to go. Ultimately, that would prove to be the difference in the score at halftime (32-20) as well as at the end of the game.
“They shot the ball extremely well, especially from the perimeter,” noted Moore of Lindsey Wilson’s 6-of-13 shooting from beyond the arc. “Three-point shooting hasn’t been a strong point for them this year, but they stepped up and did it well tonight. That hurt us in the first half. They hit some really tough threes with us in their face and that gave them the cushion they needed going into halftime.”
The Warriors struggled offensively in the first half, making just 30.8% of their attempts from the field (8 of 26) and 25% from long distance (3 of 12). But more telling was the difference on the boards. The Warriors were out-rebounded 25-10 in the first half and 48-22 in the game.
“We are not happy with the outcome,” acknowledged Moore, “especially the way things went on the boards. We needed to be tougher on the boards and find a way to scrap for rebounds tonight. Ultimately that is what cost us the game.”
After running a shooting drill the last four minutes of halftime, the Warriors came out strong in the second half.
“We made some adjustments at halftime,” said Moore. “We came out and pressed them and forced a lot of turnovers which shows the effort of my team to continue to play hard and try and fight back from our first half deficit.”
The Warriors forced 16 second-half turnovers while committing nine. But Lindsey Wilson continued to shoot the ball with hot hands, making 50% from the field in the final frame (10 of 22). By the time the clock reached 8:48, the Blue Raiders had amassed a 55-32 lead.
Westmont responded by increasing the defensive pressure on Lindsey Wilson, holding the Blue Raiders scoreless for the nest four and one-half minutes and narrowing the gap to 15 points (55-40). But there was not enough time left to complete the comeback and prolong the Warriors’ season.
“On a night like tonight when you lose a tough game, it is easy to forget the really good things that happened,” said Moore. “This was an incredible season. This team improved from last year and worked hard to do that. This team finished in third place in a conference that is as strong as it has ever been. We tied the most wins in Warrior history. This team has accomplished a lot and I definitely want that to be recognized regardless of the outcome of one game.”
Alisha Heglund, who was two of three from beyond the arc, led the Warriors with 13 points and added three rebounds. Amber Stevens tallied nine points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals. Jessica Case also contributed nine points to the Warriors’ tally.
For three Warriors – Annie Johnson, Lindsey Wilson and Ali Mooty – tonight’s game marked the end of their collegiate careers. Mooty leaves with her name atop many of the categories in the Warrior record book including career and season points per game and career and season rebounds. Johnson and Chessum leave with the distinction of having served the team exceptionally well as team captains during a year filled with some of the greatest challenges the team, and the school, have ever faced.
“Last night we were honored with the team Champions of Character Award,” said Moore. “That is a reflection of our senior class. They had unrelenting faith throughout their four years at Westmont. They have grown as leaders and as Christian women. They have been an incredible example to our program and the program has followed their lead. They are going to be dearly missed. In our locker room we talked about how even though they can’t be with us on the floor after tonight, we will carry their consistency, character and faith with us and they will continue to be a part of who we are.”
