Kelsie Sampson put up a career-tying 35 points on Tuesday night in Murchison Gymnasium as #11 Westmont Women’s Basketball (18-8, 9-4 GSAC) recorded an 80-55 Golden State Athletic Conference win over Concordia (11-14, 4-9 GSAC). The senior forward made 14 of 22 attempts from the floor.
Sampson also pulled down 10 rebounds to notch her seventh double-double of the season.
Concordia’s only lead came with 2:50 to go in the first half when Stephanie Larson hit a jumper to put the Eagles up 27-26. Westmont responded by closing out the first half on a 9-0 run, beginning with a three-point bucket by Esther Lee (15 points, 5 rebounds).
The Eagles closed to within four in the opening minutes of the second half, but once again, Lee struck from beyond the arc, propelling the Warriors on an 11-2 run to take a 48-35 lead with 13:21 remaining in the game. The Warriors never led by less than 11 points the rest of the way.
Westmont outshot Concordia 44.3 (27 of 61) to 33.8 (20 of 61) percent and posted a 51-33 rebound advantage.
After getting just two points from the bench in Saturday’s win over Arizona Christian, the reserves contributed 23 points in tonight’s victory. Aysia Shellmire tallied nine points and eight rebounds and Karlie Storkson added six points and two boards.
In other Golden State Athletic Conference action, #1 Vanguard recorded an 82-65 win over #7 The Master’s. As a result, the Warriors move into a tie with The Master’s for second place with one game remaining.
#17 Hope International recorded a narrow 81-78 win over San Diego Christian to remain one game behind the Warriors and Mustangs. Biola posted a 65-55 win over Arizona Christian.
Depending on how the final games of the season turn out on Saturday, Westmont can finish the GSAC season anywhere from second to tied for third place, and could be seeded anywhere from second to fourth. Either way, the Warriors will enjoy a home game on the opening night of the GSAC Tournament, which is Wednesday, March 5.
