CARLINVILLE, Ill. - Westminster women's basketball continues on its hot streak with its fourth consecutive victory, this time over Blackburn.
The Blue Jays improve to 10-7 overall with the win, and 5-3 in St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play.
"I'm really pleased that we found a way to get a road conference win," said Westminster Head Coach James Arnold. "It certainly wasn't pretty at times, but that's what this time of year is all about."
Westminster held the Beavers to just six points in the first quarter while Makayla Jackson scored seven of her 15 points in the first ten minutes to go up 15-6.
"Makayla Jackson has really been stepping up," said Arnold. "She had another big night and continues to impress us."
Grace Archambault picked up her scoring in the second quarter in her first game back since an extended illness. She led the team in the second quarter with seven points to go into the halftime break on top 34-20.
"We're starting to get healthy and closer to playing at full strength," said Arnold. "Tonight, it was nice to have Grace back. She wasted no time in making her presence felt."
Blackburn came back in the third quarter after knocking down freethrows to stay in the game. At the 4:32 mark of the quarter, the Beavers pulled back in single digits with a made layup which sparked a 7-0 run to make the score 42-38 with just over two minutes left to play in the quarter. Westminster hit five freethrows in the remaining minutes of the quarter to retain their lead going into the final 10 minutes of the game.
Kendahl Adams opened the fourth quarter by hitting back-to-back three-pointers to give the Blue Jays a double-digit lead. Westminster continued to pull away in the final minutes of the game, going ahead by as many as 17 with just minutes remaining in the game. Adams scored 14 of her 22 points in the fourth quarter. The Beavers ended the game on a 7-0 run, but Westminster was able to pull out the 76-65 victory.
Adams led all scorers with 22 points, adding 10 rebounds. Jackson earned her second-straight double-double with 15 points and 11 boards. Archambault announced her return with a strong double-double performance of 17 points and 12 rebounds. Mikalyn Callahan was just one rebound away from a double-double herself, adding 11 points and nine boards.
"What I like most about this mini-run that we are on is that we've had so many people contribute and help us along the way," said Arnold. "I am confident that will help us down the stretch."
Westminster stays on the road to face Webster Saturday at 1 p.m.
