Westmont Women’s Basketball (7-0), ranked second in the NAIA, had an easy time of it in Riverside on Wednesday evening, defeating the Golden Eagles of La Sierra (0-6) by a score of 80-29. It is the sixth time in program history that the Warriors have held an opponent to under 30 points.
In the opening frame, sophomore guard Kate Goostrey tallied 12 points and freshman guard Sage Kramer added six as the Warriors jumped out to a 32-8 lead. Westmont knocked down six of 10 from 3-point range, including two each by Goostrey and Kramer.
“We set the tone early in the first quarter,” said Westmont’s head coach Kirsten Moore. “Our starting group came out firing all cylinders and did a great job. Kate was hitting from everywhere and Stefanie Berberabe makes everyone around her better.
“Stef had 10 assists, six steals, and nine points in only half a game (23 minutes). Anytime she was in, people were getting open looks. Whether it was at the rim inside, or kick-outs for threes or finding shooters, she creates so much. Our shooters were ready today and when she found them, they knocked the shots down. We obviously shot at a high percentage all game long.”
The Warriors shot 53.2% from the floor (33 of 62), including 48.0% (12 of 25) from long distance.
Westmont continued its dominance in the second quarter, outscoring the Golden Eagles 17-3. Redshirt-freshman guard Giulia Abraham led the way in the second frame with eight points as she went three-for-three from the floor, including two 3-point field goals. Westmont entered the locker room at halftime with a 49-11 lead.
Westmont’s substantial lead allowed Moore to use the opportunity to develop her team’s depth.
“It was great to get everyone significant experience,” said the veteran coach. “Everyone played double-digit minutes out there and was able to contribute in different ways. We have a huge chunk of our roster that is young. For them to get experience and be able to contribute today was great.”
The closest quarter of the game was the third, with Westmont edging La Sierra 11-9. Berberabe scored four of Westmont’s third-quarter points on a pair of layups – both after she pilfered the ball – and freshman guard Bailey Fong connected on a triple.
In the fourth quarter, the Warriors made nine of ten from the floor, including 3-pointers by Haylie Dermer and Isabella Person. Westmont outscored the Golden Eagles 20-9 in the final frame.
Moore hopes the team will build on tonight’s performance when they return to Golden State Athletic Conference play next week.
“We know we have to be playing our best basketball as we head into this stretch of GSAC. We go on the road to Master’s and Hope back-to-back and then host Vanguard. Hopefully, tonight will springboard us into this tough and important stretch of three games.”
Next Wednesday, the Warriors will travel to Santa Clarita for a 5:30 p.m. match-up with #19 The Master’s (6-0, 2-0 GSAC).
Ron Smith is the sports information director at Westmont College.
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