Eighteenth ranked Westmont Women’s Basketball made it a clean sweep at the Westminster Tournament by defeating the host Griffins 72-63 on Saturday afternoon in Salt Lake City. Sophomore guard Katie Kittle led the way for the Warriors with 19 points and eight rebounds while junior forward Angel Blanco recorded a double-double.
“For the second game in a row we came out and had a great start,” said Westmont Head Coach Kirsten Moore. “We played great defense in the first half, holding them to 24 points.”
Kittle, who along with Amber Stevens was named to the All-Tournament Team, made five of eight attempts from beyond the arc including three in the first six and one-half minutes of play. Stevens recorded eight points, seven rebounds and six assists.
“When we beat two teams at the top of another conference that is consistently good – like the Frontier Conference – it makes a good statement not only for us, but also for the GSAC. That Point Loma also went undefeated here helps make that statement as well.”
The Warriors jumped out to a 31-13 lead in the first 15 minutes of the game but gave back 11 points before halftime.
“The momentum really shifted about three-quarters of the way through the first half,” noted Moore. “We were held scoreless in the last five minutes. At half time we talked about trying to gain some momentum back. It was tough. Like us, Westminster has been to the national tournament for three years in a row. We were playing on their home court so we knew it would be a tough, second-half battle.”
After the two teams traded baskets to start the second frame, the Griffins’ Allie Eastman (12 points) hit a three-pointer and McKenzie Jessop (14 points, 9 rebounds) nailed two free throws to move Westminster to within two points (33-31).
Westmont’s Jessica Case responded with the first of her three-points before Dani Evans connected on a Griffin jumper to close the margin back to three (36-33) with 17:40 to play. Kittle and Case then struck from downtown with back-to-back threes, putting the Warriors up 42-33 with 16:50 on the second-half clock. Westminster, however, did not fold.
Six minutes later, the Griffins took at 47-46 lead on a jumper by Angela Fales (5 points, 7 rebounds). It was a lead which proved to be short lived.
“When they took the lead, we needed a push offensively,” said Moore. “Westminster had a short lineup on the floor because they had put all there three-point shooting guards on the court. We put Alisha (Heglund) in at the post and Jess did a great job of finding her. Alisha stepped up and made great plays.”
Heglund, who made all seven of her attempts from the charity stripe, ended the game with 11 points. Case scored 12 points for the Warriors and added four assists to her stats.
“Westminster gained the lead for a single possession before Elizabeth Evancoe hit a three to put us back on top,” reported Moore. “We never relinquished the lead again. I thought we played with a lot of resiliency tonight.”
Evancoe (5 points, 4 rebounds) sparked a 9-0 run with her trey, giving Westmont a 55-47 advantage with 8:57 to play.
Westmont increased its advantage to 12 points (63-51) when Kittle hit the last of her three-pointers with 5:08 remaining, but once again, the Griffins closed the gap. A three-pointer by Fales with 2:06 remaining put Westminster within two (65-63), but it was the last points the home team would score.
A jumper by Blanco with 1:43 remaining was the last field goal to be made by either team. The Warriors converted five of six free throws in the final two minutes to secure the win. Westmont shot 78% from the free throw line, including 16 of 21 in the second half.
“We have a goal of out-rebounding our opponents and today we finally did that,” said Moore. “Angel was a huge reason for that success. She was battling inside in a super physical game. All the fouls weren’t being called but still she fought her way to 10 rebounds and 14 points. She could have had twice as many rebounds.”
The Warriors return to Santa Barbara after opening the season with wins over Montana-Western, Carroll and Westminster.
“I was proud of this team for coming out here, playing three games in three days and coming away with three wins. We had a great time of being together and continuing to build our unity as a team. It was a really great trip.”
