Amber Stevens was brilliant for the Warriors basketball team, leading Westmont to a crucial 95-91 shootout victory over the California Baptist Lancers Tuesday night at Murchison Gymnasium.
Stevens finished the game with 19 points, 11 assists, eight rebounds, and five steals with just one turnover, just missing her second career triple-double. Her offense helped Westmont score a season-high 95 points while shooting 51 percent (32-63) from the floor, and 42 percent (11-26) from the 3-point line.
“Amber Stevens was able to find the hot shooter when she needed to,” said coach Kirsten Moore. “It was senior leadership at its best.”
The Lancers did an incredible job as well shooting in the game, actually besting Westmont’s marks with 52 percent (34 of 66) shooting from the floor and 52 percent (11 of 21) from beyond the arc.
The game began with consecutive jump shots for the Lancers by Heather Couzens (23 points) and Brenna Hahn (28 points). Megan Bradford’s (11 points, 5 assists) three-point shot at 17:42 capped a 7-0 run to start the game. Later, the Warriors found themselves trailing 11-2, but they followed it up with a 9-0 run capped by Jessica Case’s (18 points, 6 rebounds) layup with 14:58 left in the first half. The rest of the game continued to provide beautiful offense.
“We were both making shots the whole game,” said Stevens. “We kept our composure and continued to have control of the game.”
Four Warriors scored in double figures including Katie Kittle who finished with 14 points, three rebounds, three assists, and four steals. Elizabeth Evancoe led Westmont with 22 points on 8-for-12 shooting from the floor.
Westmont out-rebounded the Lancers in the first half, going into halftime with a 20-14 advantage. It is a pretty remarkable statistic especially considering California Baptist came into the game out-rebounding opponents by 5.3 per game. Also, the Warriors have been very thin at the post with the absence of their best rebounder Angel Blanco.
“It was a battle out there, we knew it was going to be an extremely physical game,” said Moore. “This was a must win game for us.”
The game helped propel Westmont (15-7, 8-6 GSAC) into a tie for fifth place in the conference standings and helps its chances of making nationals. The Lancers (11-13, 4-10) drop to seventh place in GSAC standings, still holding onto a conference playoff spot.
The win sets up for another critical game as the Warriors will go to Santa Clarita to take on The Master’s (13-9, 8-6) which is sitting in fifth place as well. Tipoff will be 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.
