It was a solid defensive effort that secured #11 Westmont Women’s Basketball (15-6, 6-2 GSAC) a Golden State Athletic Conference victory over San Diego Christian (10-11, 1-7) on Saturday night in Murchison Gymnasium. While the Warriors only shot 34.6 percent (18-52) from the floor and scored just 50 points, they held San Diego Christian to a 29.1 percent (16-55) shooting percentage and just 38 points.
Kelsie Sampson tallied 17 points and seven rebounds to lead the Warriors while Esther Lee added 12 points, three rebounds and three assists. The Hawks were led by Briana Martinez with 13 points and four rebounds.
Westmont jumped out to a 4-0 lead, but San Diego Christian scored the next nine points to go ahead by five points, five minutes into the contest. A jumper by Lee not only stopped the run, but launched a 13-point run Warrior run to put Westmont up 17-9 with nine and one-half minutes left in regulation. The Warriors never trailed again.
In other GSAC action, top-ranked Vanguard handed Biola a 76-53 loss in La Mirada while #9 The Master’s defeated Arizona Christian 80-54. Hope International recorded an 83-73 win over Concordia.
As a result, the gap between the “haves” and the “have nots”, which divides the conference in half, has grown. Vanguard continues to lead the conference with an 8-0 record while Westmont, #17 Hope International and #9 The Master’s are tied for second place at 6-2. Biola sits in fifth place with a 3-5 conference mark. Concordia is in sixth at 2-6 and San Diego Christian is in seventh at 1-7.
The Warriors will travel to Costa Mesa on Tuesday for a show down with Vanguard
