A twenty-four day hiatus didn’t seem to bother No. 14 Westmont women’s basketball as the Warriors cruised to an 89-48 win over Michigan Dearborn (1-11) in the first game of the GSAC Challenge.
The win in the four-team tournament held at California Baptist gives the Warriors an 8-1 record. Their last game was an 87-74 win over Hope International on December 5.
Katie Kittle led the Warriors in scoring, recording 20 points while going seven of 14 from the field and making four of six from beyond the arc. Amber Stevens tallied 14 points, seven steals, six rebounds and five assists.
Westmont’s control of the game is evidenced in the 20 steals recorded by the team against just six turnovers. The Wolves, an NAIA Division II team, committed 31 turnovers while stealing the ball just twice.
Midway through the first half, the Warriors held a 25-9 lead and then pushed their advantage to 20 (33-13) on a layup by senior Kelsey Hardeman with 5:14 to play in the opening frame. With 3:12 remaining on the clock, Westmont took their largest lead of the half (39-15) on one of Kittle’s three-pointers. By halftime, the Wolves had cut the advantage to 17 (44-27).
The second half was more of the same for the Warriors who saw their margin stretch to 30 points (63-33) on a layup by Kittle with 13:39 to play in the game. With 2:53 remaining, Angel Blanco hit a jumper in the paint to make it a 40-point game (83-43). A layup by Hensley with 0:57 showing on the clock gave the Warriors their largest advantage at 89-45.
Hensley recorded 10 points on four-of-six shooting for the Warriors, including two-of-three from the three-point line. Blanco posted eight points, seven rebounds and four steals while Jessica Case had eight points, five assists and three steals.
The Warriors will be back in action tomorrow as they continue play in the GSAC Challenge. Westmont is scheduled to take on Trinity International (Ill.) at four o’clock.
