The Westminster women's basketball team continues to roll through their winning streak after defeating Eureka College 79-62 in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) "Game of the Week" on Saturday. The win secures their ninth straight victory and brings them to 13-2 in conference play and 16-5 on the season.
"Today's game showed the progess we've made this season and how mentally tough we have become," Assistant Coach Kristen Warncke stated. "We kept our composure the entire game and did not get flustered when they went on runs. This was a team win as everyone contributed either on the bench or on the court."
"We knew coming into the game that it was going to be a battle and that we needed to focus on each play one at a time, and that's what we did," stated sophomore guard Bailey Mitchell. "Everyone kept their energy up and pushed the team onto the next play."
Sophomore Andrea Zalis and juniors Mackenzie Haddox and Kasey Gatson each hit a three-pointer to start Saturday's game with a 9-3 lead. The Eureka Red Devils made two layups to cut the score to 9-7, but the game remained scoreless the following two minutes.
Gatson finally hit a three with 14:09 on the clock to start a 13-2 run over the next three minutes. The Red Devils battled their way back, bringing the game within three points with 5:06 left in the first half. Coming out of a Blue Jay timeout, Zalis hit a three to put them up by six. Westminster held on to the lead and a buzzer beater by junior Sadie Theroff sent the Blue Jays into halftime with a 33-26 advantage.
The Blue Jays increased their lead to 13 just 1:40 into the second half. Eureka managed to cut the lead to five points again after a series of shots from downtown. Gatson and Theroff were key in the next 5 1/2 minutes, becoming hot from the field. Gatson scored seven, while Theroff hit two three's to bring the Blue Jays up by 14 with 10:31 to play.
With just under eight minute to go, senior Tylere Goans went 4-4 from the foul line to bring the Blue Jays' lead to 17. The team held their ground, ending the game with a 79-62 win.
"We shot the ball really well which opened up the middle for our bigs," commented Mitchell. The Blue Jays shot 48 percent from the arc, with three players shooting 50 percent or better. Zalis went 3-5 from the arc, while Gatson and Theroff each went 4-8.
"We had great defensive energy for the whole 40 minutes, and our rebounding was huge," stated Head Coach Tracey Braden. The Blue Jays outrebounded Eureka 44-32.
"I'm most proud of our focus and steadiness when Eureka closed the gap from 12 to 3," added Coach Braden. "We made the necessary adjustments and executed."
Gatson finished with 24 points, six boards and four assists. Zalis grabbed eight boards and added 13 points to the win. Theroff scored 16 and dished in four assists. Haddox led the team with five assists, and sophomore Krista Armontrout pulled down seven boards.
The Blue Jays will make up the cancelled conference game with Iowa Wesleyan College on Monday, February 16, with a 6:00 p.m. tip-off in the Historic Gymnasium.
