Senior Esther Lee eclipsed the 1000 point mark as #15 Westmont Women’s Basketball (22-5, 9-5 GSAC) posted a 73-52 Golden State Athletic Conference win at San Diego Christian (8-19, 4-11).
Lee scored 14 points while making four of seven shots from beyond the arc, giving her a total of 1002 points in a Warrior uniform. Since transferring to Westmont after her freshman year at Colorado-Boulder, Lee has averaged 11.5 points per game.
The Warriors were led in scoring by freshman forward Lauren McCoy who recorded a double-double of 23 points and 10 rebounds. McCoy went 11 for 13 from the field. Junior forward Aysia Shellmire also scored in double figures, contributing 11 points and five rebounds.
Westmont led by just two points (35-33) with 18 minutes remaining in the second half before going on a 15-0 run. Back-to-back three’s by Lee ignited the run. After Karr followed with another three, Lee hit her fourth three of the night to reach the 1,000 point mark.
The Warriors continued to build their advantage, eventually turning their 15-0 run into a 31-6 run. Twice, Westmont led the Hawks by as much as 29 points.
The win, combined with two upsets in the conference, propelled Westmont into a tie for third place in the GSAC standings, just one game out of second place.
Sixteenth-ranked The Master’s (19-8, 9-5) fell into the tie with Westmont after falling to Arizona Christian (6-22, 2-13) by a score of 71-64. Eighth-ranked Vanguard (81-75) suffered an 81-75 road loss to Biola (16-12, 8-6). In the only other GSAC game, #6 Concordia (21-4, 14-1) defeated Hope International (16-12, 7-7) by a score of 102-72.
If Westmont wins its final two regular season games next week, the Warriors will claim the number three seed in the GSAC Tournament which begins on Wednesday, March 4. Westmont could tie Vanguard for second place if the Lions lose their final GSAC game to Concordia next Saturday. However, Vanguard would own the tiebreaker and claim the number two seed.
Before getting to the playoffs, however, the Warriors will host Hope International on Tuesday night and Biola on Saturday. Game time is set for 5:30 for both games. Westmont fell to Hope International 70-63 on January 24 in Fullerton and defeated Biola 67-49 on January 20 in La Mirada.
