SANTA CLARITA — Freshman forward Lauren McCoy dropped in 28 points and pulled down six rebounds as 16th-ranked Westmont Women’s Basketball (19-5, 6-5 GSAC) defeated the No. 12 Mustangs of The Master’s (17-7, 7-4) by a score of 71-64 in the NAIA Game of the Week.
“Lauren was so aggressive,” noted Westmont head coach Kirsten Moore. “She was able to attack the rim all night long and she made big play after big play, especially when we were down.”
The win was the second in a row for the Warriors against a higher ranked opponent
“After losing to Hope International and Vanguard, we looked at our schedule and saw we had to go on the road against the number one and number two teams in the conference,” said Moore of her team’s journey through the Golden State Athletic Conference schedule. “We definitely had our backs against the wall. But the fact that we went on the road and won both of those games shows what this team capable of.”
After a three-pointer by the Mustangs’ Whitney Best (6 points) made the score 50-45, the Warriors finally tied the score at 50 apiece with a three-pointer by Esther Lee (12 points) and a layup by McCoy.
The Master’s held the Warriors scoreless over the next four and one-half minutes as they rebuilt their eight-point advantage with three-pointers by Shannon Kingery (11 points, 5 rebounds) and Olivia Thompson (8 points) and a two-point jumper by Nicole Nitake (16 points, 4 rebounds).
Down 58-50 with 6:26 to play, the Warriors assembled a 12-4 run, tying the game at 62 with two minutes remaining in regulation.
A missed three-pointer by Best was rebounded by Lee. On the Warriors’ next possession, Aysia Shellmire missed a jumper from the free throw line but gathered in the rebound and not only scored on the put-back attempt, but drew a foul as well. After Shellmire converted the old-fashioned three-point play, Westmont held its first lead (65-62) in over 34 minutes of play.
“Aysia was in foul trouble all night but she stayed in it and got a huge ‘and-one’ with a minute and a half left that gave us in control of the game.”
Down the stretch, the Warriors made five of six free throws while holding the Mustangs to two points to secure the GSAC victory.
The Warriors will seek to continue their winning ways against the Warriors of William Jessup (2-21, 1-11) on Valentine’s Day. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
