By the skin of their teeth, the NAIA fourth-ranked Westmont women’s basketball team preserved its unbeaten record in Golden State Athletic Conference play with a 56-54 win over The Master’s in Murchison Gymnasium on Tuesday night.
With the victory, the Warriors (17-1, 7-0 GSAC) extended their winning streak to 12.
The Warriors led 35-20 at halftime after shooting 56.0 percent from the floor (14 of 25) and holding The Master’s (8-11, 1-6) to just 20.0 percent (6 of 30). The second half would be an entirely different story.
With 15:16 remaining in regulation, Tugce Canitez (11 points, 9 rebounds) hit a jumper to restore the Warrior lead to 15 points (43-28). However, over the next five and one-half minutes, the Mustangs would put together a 20-5 run that would tie the game at 48-all with 9:42 to play.
In the first ten minutes and 18 second of the second half, The Mustangs made 11 of 16 attempts from the floor including all five of their three-point attempts. Over the final nine minutes and 42 seconds, the Mustangs managed just six points, and the Warriors just eight.
Katie Kittle (8 points, 11 rebounds) scored on a layup with 9:03 remaining and Tawny McCain (9 points, 5 rebounds) nailed a jumper at the 8:21 mark to give Westmont a 52-48 advantage. With an even six minutes showing on the clock, Lisa Peterson (13 points, 5 rebounds), scored on a jumper to put Westmont up 54-48.
With 4:09 left in the second half, Lena Rivera (11 points, 12 rebounds) scored for the Mustangs, connecting on one of two free throws to make it 54-49. The Master’s cut the lead to three with 3:26 to go on a jumper by Kristen Huff (4 points, 4 rebounds) and further narrowed the margin to just one (54-53) on a jumper by Whitney Best (11 points) with 2:08 showing on the clock.
Westmont’s Aubrey Lincoln (7 points, 3 rebounds) made it a three-point game (56-53) by draining two free throws with 1:20 left. Neither team scored again until Rivera made one of two free throw attempts with 12 seconds to go. The Mustangs had a chance to tie the game on a jumper by Best, but the ball bounced off the rim to give the Warriors the win.
In the second half, Westmont made just 29.6 percent of their attempts from the field (8 of 27) and missed all seven shots from beyond the arc. Twenty turnovers also hurt the Warriors, while a 50-31 rebound advantage worked in their favor.
In other Golden State Athletic Conference action, #10 Vanguard (12-3, 6-1) dispatched visiting Concordia (6-8, 3-4) by an 86-45 margin. Thirteenth ranked Azusa Pacific (12-5, 5-2) won on the road, defeating Point Loma Nazarene (12-7, 3-4) by a score of 59-42. San Diego Christian (14-5, 3-4) outpaced host Hope International (4-15, 1-6) 64-50 and Biola (10-6, 3-4) sent Fresno Pacific (11-8, 3-4) home with a 73-45 loss.
