Westmont junior forward Tugce Canitez tallied 30 points and 19 rebounds as the fourth-ranked Westmont women’s basketball team earned an 80-68 Golden State Athletic Conference victory over Fresno Pacific (11-10, 3-6 GSAC) on Tuesday night in Fresno.
The win was the fourteenth in a row for the Warriors who finish the first half of the GSAC season with an overall record of 19-1 and a perfect 9-0 conference mark.
“Fresno Pacific has been playing very well this season, especially here on their home court,” said Westmont head coach Kirsten Moore. “Saturday night, they were ahead of Vanguard, which is in second place in our conference, with a minute to go.”
Senior post player Lisa Peterson recorded her second double-double of the season consisting of 15 points and 10 rebounds. Katie Kittle added 17 points, four assists and three rebounds. Playing in her hometown, junior guard Larissa Hensley racked up eight points, five assists and three rebounds.
After a game-opening bucket by Fresno Pacific’s Brandi Blackwell, Westmont went on a 14-0 run to take a lead they would never relinquish. Six times the Sunbirds fought back to within six points but could not find a way to get any closer.
Leading 61-55 with 9:28 to play, Westmont produced a 13-2 run fueled by two three-point shots by Hensley. That gave the Warriors a 74-57 advantage with 5:24 left in regulation.
“Even though we had a 17-point lead, we knew that wasn’t a safe lead by any stretch of the imagination,” said Moore. “Fresno Pacific can score points in bunches.”
However, the Warriors were able to maintain a double-digit lead throughout the rest of the game.
“Our offensive execution was much better today and we did a great job on the boards,” said Moore.
Westmont outrebounded the Sunbirds 46-25, collecting 16 boards from the offensive glass.
In other GSAC action, #10 Vanguard (14-3, 8-1) dismissed the visiting Royals of Hope International (4-17, 1-8) by a whopping 104-37. Twelfth-ranked Azusa Pacific (14-5, 7-2) earned a 77-70 road win over The Master’s (9-12, 2-7). San Diego Christian (15-6, 4-5) defeated Biola (12-7, 4-5) by a 56-50 margin and Point Loma Nazarene (13-8, 2-5) sent Concordia (6-10, 3-6) home with a 69-57 loss.
Westmont continues to hold a one-game lead over second place Vanguard and a two-game lead over third place Azusa Pacific. Five games behind the Warriors is a three-way tie for fourth place between San Diego Christian, Biola and Point Loma Nazarene.
