The Westminster women's basketball's heartbreaking 66-63 loss to Greenville College in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) Tournament ended the 2015-16 Blue Jay season. The championship game loss broke their 15-game winning streak, leaving the streak tied with the program record. Despite the loss, they finished with an impressive 21-5 overall record, the second best record in program history.
The Greenville Panthers jumped out to a 9-0 lead just 1:44 into the game, forcing the Blue Jays to burn a timeout. Senior Kasey Gatson hit a basket coming out of the timeout, putting an end to the Greenville run, but they extended their lead to 11 points. A layup by senior Krista Armontrout, followed up with a three-pointer by Gatson put the Blue Jays within four points with 1:31 on the clock, but Greenville closed out the half with two jump shots to lead 21-13.
The Blue Jays outscored the Panthers 19-10 in the second quarter, and they opened it with four consecutive three-pointers from junior Payton Gruber, senior Sadie Theroff and senior Mackenzie Haddox to take a 25-21 lead. Greenvile tied the game at 25-25, but Gatson drained another three with 4:34 on the clock to pull back the lead. The Panthers tied the game once more, but junior Andrea Zalis put down a three to pull back ahead 32-29. The Panthers scored a jumper to put the game within one, sending the game into halftime with the Blue Jays holding a 32-31 lead.
Greenville scored first in the second half, but the Blue Jays quickly put in a bucket of their own. Zalis went 2-for-2 from the foul line to pull a three-point lead, but the Panthers hit a three to tie it. Armontrout laid in two baskets to take a four-point lead, and two more free throws from Zalis and a jump shot from Gatson gave the Blue Jays a six-point lead, 44-38. The Panthers blasted a 9-0 run over the next two minutes, putting the lead in their hands with 2:08 to play. Gatson hit a three to tie it up, but the Panthers made the final points of the quarter to send the game into the final quarter with Greenville leading 49-47.
After two lead changes to start the fourth quarter, the Blue Jays had two consecutive scoring possessions to put them up 55-51. The Panthers answered back with a 6-1 run to steal the lead, but a freshman Mirrakohl Johnson jump shot put the lead back in the Blue Jay's hands. Zalis made two more free throws, giving the Blue Jays a three-point lead with 3:59 on the clock, 60-57. The Panthers knotted the game twice before they took a 64-63 lead with a jump shot with 45 seconds to go. The Blue Jay's shot attempt was blocked, and the Panthers grabbed the defensive rebound with 0:08 to play, forcing the Blue Jays to foul, sending Greenville to the line. The Panthers drained both from the foul line, taking a 66-63 lead. The Blue Jays took a final attempt three-pointer at the buzzer, but the ball bounced off the rim, ending their hopes of a fourth conference tournament title.
Zalis recorded a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. She went 7-for-8 from the free throw line and led the floor with five assists and three steals. Gatson led the floor with 18 points, and Gruber added 12 points with all coming from the three-point line. Haddox finished with four blocks and three assists.
Following the game, the SLIAC announced the All-Tournament Team. Westminster's Gatson and Zalis were named to the team for their performances in the tournament. Gatson scored 22 points, pulled down 11 rebounds and dished in six assists throughout tournament play. Zalis finished the tournament with a 93.3 percentage from the free throw line after going 14-for-15. She amassed 29 points and 18 rebounds throughout the two games.
Greenville will learn where they are heading for the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Monday during the NCAA Selection Show.
