The Westminster women's basketball team's starters tallied 62 of the team's 68 points as they led the way in Wednesday's 68-58 conference win over Webster University. The Westminster Blue Jays are now tied for third in conference play with a 5-2 record and are 9-4 on the season.
"It's good to win on the road any day!" stated Head Coach Tracey Braden. "We had a good start to the game. We shot the ball well and hit some shots at key moments. Webster's pressure really caused us fits, but we managed to outlast them. Kelsey Ray came in and really got after Webster's best outscoring threat," added Coach Braden."
"We really handled adversity well tonight," added senior guard Sadie Theroff. "Webster threw some tough pressure our way and went on a run, but we never panicked or lost our composure. We stayed true to ourselves and what we do as a team and came out with a great win."
The Webster Gorloks got on the board first, but the Blue Jays then struck a 13-0 run to take a 13-2 lead 4:26 into the first quarter. The Gorloks scored four more points, but Theroff went 2-for-2 from the free throw line and junior Krista Armontrout hit a jump shot to end the quarter with the 19-6 lead.
The Blue Jays took a 17-point lead over seven minutes into the second quarter after an 11-4 run. Freshman Kelsey Ray scored the final point for the Blue Jays to send the game into halftime with the Blue Jays leading 31-17.
The Blue Jays started the second half with a 5-0 run with a three by senior Kasey Gatson and two free throws from Armontrout to go up 36-17. The Gorloks hit two three-pointers, but Armontrout hit a jump shot to begin a 10-0 run to take a 25-point lead, 48-23. The Gorloks closed out the third quarter with an 8-0 run to bring the score to 48-31.
Armontrout scored first in the fourth quarter, but the Gorloks managed a 10-3 run to bring the game within 12 points, 53-41, two minutes in. In a three minute period, junior Andrea Zalis hit three three-pointers and Gatson hit her second three of the quarter to take a 65-49 lead. The Gorloks put up seven to bring the game within nine with 2:24 left on the clock, but a jump shot and free throw by Ray put the Blue Jay's lead back into double digits with 17 seconds remaining, 68-56. Webster hit a jump shot with 00:04 on the clock to bring the final score to 68-58.
"We learned a few things that could use some work tonight which is a positive because it allows us to better prepare ourselves for the games to come," added Theroff. "We are ready to get back to work tomorrow and prepare for Saturday."
The Blue Jays shot 51 percent from the field with 23 of the team's 25 field goals coming from the starting five. Zalis went 5-for-9 from the three-point line to lead the floor with 17 points. Gatson shot 46 percent from the field to add 15 points to the win and grabbed six steals. Armontrout pulled down nine boards while senior Mackenzie Haddox pulled down seven defensive boards and posted seven assists.
The Blue Jays host MacMurray College on Saturday, January 16, at 1:00 p.m.
