In a showdown between top-ten teams, Tugce Canitez put up 23 points, pulled down nine rebounds and dished off eight assists as No. 5 Westmont Women’s Basketball earned a 68-49 road win over No. 8 Vanguard (8-3, 2-1 GSAC) on Tuesday evening in Golden State Athletic Conference action.
“The intensity we played with for 40 minutes on the defensive end was incredible,” said Westmont head coach Kirsten Moore. “Even the players who were on the bench showed their intensity. I actually got a warning from the referees because our bench was so into the game.”
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With the win, Westmont improves to 13-1, matching the best start in team history. The 2008-09 Warriors also started at 13-1 before losing their fifteenth game of the season to Point Loma Nazarene. Westmont will have an opportunity to rewrite the record book when they host San Diego Christian (13-2, 2-1) on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. in Murchison Gymnasium.
“This game has been circled on our calendar for sometime,” said Moore. “Vanguard has perennially been the standard of this conference. To beat them like we did here tonight says a lot about our potential this year. We have a lot of respect for their program.”
Westmont held Vanguard to just 33.3 percent shooting (17 of 51) while making 48.1 percent of their own field goal attempts (25 of 52). The Warriors shot 66.7 percent from beyond the arc (6 of 9) with Aubrey Lincoln making three of five on her way to eleven points. The Warriors also controlled the board, outrebounding the Lions 34-28.
The Warriors and Lions kept it close in the first half, playing to a 28-27 halftime score in favor of the Warriors. The second half, however, was entirely different. In the first five and one-half minutes, Westmont outscored Vanguard 18-0. Ten of the 18 points came from Canitez. Katie Kittle and Vanessa Farias each added a three-pointer and Lisa Peterson hit a jumper.
Peterson tallied 12 points and seven rebounds for the Warriors while adding three steals.
“Tugce is such a dynamic player,” said Moore. “She was even at point guard for a while tonight as we wanted to take advantage of her height to break the trap that Vanguard was running. She can play all five positions.”
The Warriors are now alone atop the GSAC standings, one game ahead of a five teams tied for second place – San Diego Christian, Vanguard, #11 Azusa Pacific, Fresno Pacific and Concordia.
This year’s success is bringing out the fans.
“I felt like we had a home court advantage on the road,” said Moore. “We had more fans than they did tonight. The excitement we are generating about our team is causing people to travel with us and bringing out our alumni. Our players are very excited about the fans that are coming out to see our games.”
