Jessica Case poured in 19 points, including nine from the charity stripe, to lead #18 Westmont Women’s Basketball to 61-55 win over #23 Carroll (Mont.) at the Westminster Tournament in Salt Lake City. Katie Kittle added 12 points and eight rebounds to the Warrior cause.
“Jess played composed basketball today,” said Westmont head coach Kirsten Moore. “She was aggressive to score and to attack the rim. She did a good job of knowing when to try and look for scoring opportunities and when to pass. Jess got to the free throw line a lot which is something that we have been talking about her needing to do.
“I couldn’t have been more proud of how our team came out and played in the first half,” said Moore. “We played an incredible half of basketball. We played the pressure defense we have been striving to play all year. We created a lot of opportunities for ourselves offensively and made everything really difficult for Carroll. I was extremely pleased with our momentum, enthusiasm, intensity and the work we put in on the defensive end of the floor.”
The Warriors started the game on an 18-4 run which was the score midway through the first half.
“Katie Kittle had a great game for us,” said Moore. “She really got us started at the beginning of the game – hitting a three, attacking the rim and making two free throws. She scored our first five points and gave us great momentum.”
With 42 second left in the half, Amber Stevens completed a layup to push the margin to a game-high 19 points. Cassie Scheffelmaier, who led the Fighting Saints with 17 points and nine rebounds, followed Steven’s layup with a jumper to make the halftime score 33-16.
“Amber was so consistent with eight points, eight assists and six rebounds,” said Moore. “She did a little bit of everything for us. She was a great leader for us out there, despite playing sick.”
The second half was a different story, however, as Carroll started off with a 16-2 run to produce a 35-32 score with 14:30 remaining in regulation.
“Carroll is a great team,” reported Moore. “They are used to winning and they have a lot of offensive weapons. We knew they would come out and try and attack us in the second half. We had some good looks early on in the second half but when those didn’t go in, we lost momentum.”
A free throw by Angel Blanco (7 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals) was followed by a three-pointer by Elizabeth Evancoe (8 points) to end Carroll’s surge.
“Angel had some really big moments for us,” said Moore. “I was proud that our players did not lose composure. I thought we did a good job holding on for the victory despite Carroll’s runs and momentum.”
The Warriors kept the Fighting Saints at bay and eventually regained a double-digit lead (53-43) on a layup by Blanco with 4:35 to play. Scheffelmaier responded immediately with a bucket from downtown, keeping Carroll in the game. But the Fighting Saints would not get closer than six points the rest of the way.
“We have a very experienced team – especially in the back court – that can handle pressure situations and still play with confidence,” said Moore. “I don’t think we ever lost the confidence that we were going to hold on and turn the momentum back our way. It was just a matter of weathering the storm and believing in ourselves.”
The Warriors will try to make it a clean sweep in Salt Lake when they face tournament hosts Westminster tomorrow at three o’clock (PST). The Griffins played in the NAIA’s sweet-sixteen games in 2009 and 2007.
“Westminster is an extremely good team that is very well coached,” said Moore. “They are going to run the Princeton offense, which we are familiar with because it is what our men’s team runs. It’s a different thing to try to defend, so we will have some challenges. Westminster has a lot of three-point shooters. We are going to try and build on the defense that we played with today in the first half.”
