Westmont’s Tugce Canitez and Aubrey Lincoln were too much for Vanguard to handle as the pair combined for 50 points to lead the No. 4-ranked Warriors to a 73-58 win over the No. 9 Vanguard in a GSAC women’s basketball game at Murchison Gym on Tuesday.
Canitez was a perfect 11-for-11 from the free-throw line en route to a game-high 29 points. She also grabbed 14 rebounds. Lincoln knocked down 7 of 13 three-point shots for 21 points.
After trailing for all of the first half, Westmont (21-1, 11-0) blew the game open with red-hot shooting in the second half. The Warriors scored 49 points, making 8 of 12 treys and shooting 68 percent (15-22) from the floor.
Lincoln hit a 3-pointer to start a 7-0 run that gave Westmont its first lead of the game, 42-41 with 11:24 left in the second half. Another Lincoln 3-pointer extended the lead to 10, 61-51, with 5:17 to go.
“Aubrey is an incredible shooter and is fearless,” said Westmont coach Kirsten Moore. “She is not afraid to take tough shots and she is a real competitor. You see her competitiveness on the defensive end of the floor with her hustle. It was great to see her hit big shots in a big game.”
The Warriors were 11 of 29 on 3-pointers.
“Down the stretch, we were able to trust Tugce to make plays,” Moore said. “She not only knows when and how to score, but she knows when to make the pass and find the shooters.”
Allison Burns scored 14 points to lead Vanguard (15-4, 9-2).
