Westmont women’s basketball celebrates GSAC top seed
MONTECITO, Calif.-
With a chance to claim the number one seed in next week's Golden State Athletic Conference Championship and at least a share of the regular season title, #3 Westmont Women's Basketball (24-3, 16-1 GSAC) took nothing for granted and handed San Diego Christian (5-24, 0-17) a 96-34 loss.
With the win, the Warriors clinched the right to host the GSAC Tournament, which will be held March 5-7, and secured an automatic berth into next month's NAIA National Championship in Billings, Montana.
With a win on Saturday at Hope International (19-8, 9-7), or a loss by #4 The Master's (27-2, 15-2) at #7 Vanguard (22-4, 13-3), the Warriors can claim sole possession of the GSAC Regular Season Championship.
The Warriors took control of the game from the opening tip, posting their first double-digit lead (15-4) on a 3-pointer by Lauren Tsuneishi halfway through the first quarter. By the end of the first period, Westmont held a 26-8 advantage. Westmont, refusing to take its foot off the gas, led 50-13 at halftime and 73-28 at the end of the third.
Six Warriors scored in double-digits led by Iyree Jarrett's 18 points. She also contributed seven assists. Stefanie Berberabe made eight of 10 shots from the floor and added a free-throw to tally 17 point while also notching four assists. Gabriella Stoll added another 14 points and five rebounds. Tsuneishi and Krissy Miyahara both went four of five from beyond the arc to add 12 points each.
The Warriors, who lead the NAIA in 3-point field goals per game, drained 15 in tonight's game out of 30 attempts. Westmont averages 12.3 long-range field goals per game, which is the best by any team in the NAIA since the 2012-13 season.
Maud Ranger led the Warriors on the boards, tallying 17 boards to go along with her eight points. Ranger, the team's lone senior, was honored before the game for her work ethic and her willingness to take on a new role this season - moving into a post position and crashing the boards. Ranger is averaging 11.2 points and a team-high 9.9 rebounds per game this year.
By clinching the top-seed in the GSAC Tournament, Westmont has also claimed a bye in the quarterfinals. The tournament begins with quarterfinals on Thursday, March 5 with the number four seed taking on the number five seed and the number three seed facing the number six seed.
On Friday, March 6, the semifinals will see the number three-six winner take on the number two seed and the four-five winner will take on the top-seeded Warriors. Westmont will play at 3:30 p.m.
The championship game will be held on Saturday, March 7 at 5:00 p.m.
Before any of that happens, however, the Warriors will close out the regular season on the road at Hope International on Saturday afternoon. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
Article courtesy of Westmont Athletics
