FULTON, Mo. – Sometimes all you need is balance.
After an off-balanced performance against Greenville University on Monday, the Westminster College women's basketball team got itself balanced and back on the winning track, with a 96-74 victory over Blackburn College Wednesday night in Historic Gym. With the win, the Blue Jays improved to 14-4 on the season; 8-2 in St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play.
Westminster got balanced scoring on the perimeter –Kendahl Adams and Kallee Dowler combined for 39 points – and in the paint, as Mirrakohl Johnson scored a game-high 25 points. Adams and Dowler finished the game with 20 and 19 points, respectively. A total of 10 Blue Jays cracked the scoring column in the contest.
Westminster scored 48 points in the paint against the Beavers and converted 35 fast-break points. The Blue Jays scored 26 points off turnovers and 20 second-chance points. They followed up Monday's abysmal shooting performance by connecting on 47 percent of their shots from the field; 27 percent from 3-point range.
"Tonight I thought we had a nice balance of perimeter shooting, but also pounded the ball inside and created for each other," Westminster Coach James Arnold said. "When we make the extra pass and trust our offense, we are special on that end."
Blackburn (4-14, 1-9) scored the first basket of the contest on a Savannah Kruse jumper, and battled the Blue Jays close early on. But following a 4-all tie with just over seven minutes remaining in the first quarter, Westminster closed the period on a 17-6 run to lead, 21-10, and were never seriously challenged the rest of the way. The Blue Jays led by as many as 33 points in the contest.
"It was really great to come in and bounce back with a big win," Arnold said.
Kruse led the Beavers with 20 points while Lexie Black added 19.
Westminster returns to action in its third home contest of the week on Saturday when the Blue Jays face Eureka College in a 1 PM SLIAC matchup in Historic Gym.