The Westminster women's basketball team grabbed their ninth consecutive win on Wednesday with a 90-72 win over Fontbonne University. The Westminster Blue Jays move to 11-2 in the conference and 15-4 overall.
"Krista Armontrout is a continual threat and a real problem for other teams to have an answer for," Head Coach Tracey Braden stated. Armontrout recorded her fourth double-double of the season as she put up 17 points and pulled down 13 rebounds.
The Blue Jays were sent to the line early in the game to start it with a 1-0 lead. The Fontbonne Griffins put in a basket to take the lead, but baskets by Armontrout and senior Mackenzie Haddox gave the Blue Jays a 5-2 lead. A jumper by Armontrout with 4:46 on the clock gave the Blue Jays a 12-8 advantage, and a three-point by senior Kasey Gatson and two free throws by junior Andrea Zalis gave them a seven-point lead, 19-12. In the final 2:19 of the first quarter, the Griffins outscored the Blue Jays 7-3 to end the first quarter with the Blue Jays leading 22-19.
The Blue Jays brought their lead back to seven points under a minute into the second quarter with a three by junior Payton Gruber and a layup by freshman Mirrakohl Johnson. The Griffins brought the score back within one with 5:48 on the clock, but baskets by sophomore Payton Beeler and freshman Ali Perry, along with two free throws from Gatson, gave the Blue Jays a seven-point lead again, 37-30. Zalis knocked down a three-pointer with 1:18 on the clock to give the Blue Jays an eight point lead. The Griffins added one more basket to send the game into halftime with the Blue Jays leading 42-36.
"We had a little bit of a slow start, but we made some improvements along the stretch," commented junior guard Andrea Zalis on the change in the second half.
The Blue Jays boomed to begin the second half with a 11-2 run, grasping a 15-point lead three minutes in. The Blue Jays extended their lead to 17 with 2:39 left, but the Griffins stretched a 6-0 run to bring the game within 11, 59-48. Two free throws from Haddox ended the quarter with the Blue Jays possessing a 64-50 lead.
A layup and a jump shot by Armontrout gave the Blue Jays a 20-point lead, their largest of the game. The Griffins put the game within 13, but a three by Haddox, followed by a steal by Gatson and a layup by Zalis brought the Blue Jays back up by 18. The Blue Jays maintained their lead in the remaining 3:14, and Beeler scored the final points for Westminster with two free throws. The Griffins put in a layup just seconds before the buzzer, ending the game with a final score of 90-72.
"The team did a great job on the offensive glass," added Coach Braden. "We knew Fontbonne would come in here and play hard. We let up a little this game with our defensive focus and intensity, but we will get back at it tomorrow. We believe games are going to be won on the defensive end."
Zalis led the Blue Jays offensively with 21 points. Haddox shot 50 percent from the field and went a perfect 7-for-7 from the foul line to tally 18 points for the team while leading the floor with six assists and four steals.
"It is nice to get a win against a team we lost to earlier in the season, and we are looking forward to Saturday," added Zalis. The last Blue Jay loss was to Fontbonne on January 2.
The Blue Jays host Eureka College on Saturday, February 6, at 4:00 pm.
The Westminster women's basketball team grabbed their ninth consecutive win on Wednesday with a 90-72 win over Fontbonne University. The Westminster Blue Jays move to 11-2 in the conference with their last loss coming from over ___ ago. Overall they are 15-4.
The Blue Jays were sent to the line early in the game to start it with a 1-0 lead. The Fontbonne Griffins put in a basket to take the lead, but baskets by junior Krista Armontrout and senior Mackenzie Haddox gave the Blue Jays a 5-2 lead. A jumper by Armontrout with 4:46 on the clock gave the Blue Jays a 12-8 advantage, and a three-point by senior Kasey Gatson and two free throws by junior Andrea Zalis gave them a seven-point lead, 19-12. In the final 2:19 of the first quarter, the Griffins outscored the Blue Jays 7-3 to end the first quarter with the Blue Jays leading 22-19.
The Blue Jays brought their lead back to seven points under a minute into the second quarter with a three by junior Payton Gruber and a layup by freshman Mirrakohl Johnson. The Griffins brought the score back within one with 5:48 on the clock, but baskets by sophomore Payton Beeler and freshman Ali Perry, along with two free throws from Gatson, gave the Blue Jays a seven-point lead again, 37-30. Zalis knocked down a three-pointer with 1:18 on the clock to give the Blue Jays an eight point lead. The Griffins added one more basket to send the game into halftime with the Blue Jays leading 42-36.
The Blue Jays boomed to begin the second half with a 11-2 run, grasping a 15-point lead three minutes in. The Blue Jays extended their lead to 17 with 2:39 left, but the Griffins stretched a 6-0 run to bring the game within 11, 59-48. Two free throws from Haddox ended the quarter with the Blue Jays possessing a 64-50 lead.
A layup and a jump shot by Armontrout gave the Blue Jays a 20-point lead, their largest of the game. The Griffins put the game within 13, but a three by Haddox, followed by a steal by Gatson and a layup by Zalis brought the Blue Jays back up by 18. The Blue Jays maintained their lead in the remaining 3:14, and Beeler scored the final points for Westminster with two free throws. The Griffins put in a layup just seconds before the buzzer, ending the game with a final score of 90-72.
Zalis led the Blue Jays offensively with 21 points, and Armontrout recorded her _th double-double of the season as she put up 17 points and pulled down 13 rebounds. Haddox shot 50 percent from the field and went a perfect 7-for-7 from the foul line to tally 18 points for the team while leading the floor with six assists and four steals.
The Blue Jays host Eureka College on Saturday, February 6, at 4:00 pm.
