Webster Groves, MO 1/16/2021- After a snowstorm pushed the game back a day, the Westminster College women's basketball team traveled to take on the undefeated Webster University Gorloks in a Sunday afternoon showdown. The Gorloks defensive pressure and turnovers would prove to be too much for the Blue Jays as they were handed their first loss in the SLIAC losing to Webster University 76-64. The Gorloks improve to 11-0 overall and 2-0 in SLIAC. The Blue Jays fall to 6-8 overall and 2-1 in the SLIAC.
The Blue Jays started the game with a nine-point lead at 17-8, that run was fueled by offensive rebounds and second chance points. Webster University would cut the lead to six by the end of the 1st quarter with a 25-19 score. The Gorloks would turn up the defensive intensity in the 2nd quarter, forcing six Blue Jay turnovers and holding the Blue Jays to just seven points total in the quarter and would take the lead heading into halftime 36-32 over the Blue Jays.
Coming out of the break, a Reese Arnold (Lonedell, Mo. / Washington) three pointer would cut the Webster University lead to three points at 36-35. That is the closest the Blue Jays would get for the rest of the game.. The Gorloks would go on a 14-4 run to extend the lead to eleven points. The Blue Jays battled back cutting the lead back to seven early in the fourth quarter on a lay up by Madison Schaeffer (Cincinnati, Ohio / Fairfield) with 9:50 to play in the game. The Gorloks would respond pushing their lead back to double figures as they would go on to a 76-64 victory.
The Blue Jays had four players score in double figures led by their Junior forward Schaeffer who recorded a double double with 13 points and a team high 11 rebounds, Annette Ramirez (Sarcoxie, MO / Sarcoxie) scored 11 points, Arnold and Avylina Powell-Qualo (Republic, Mo. / Republic) both scored ten points apiece.
Westminster would outrebound Webster 46-41, with 19 of those being offensive rebounds that resulted in 27 second chance points. Webster forced 28 Blue Jay turnovers and would capitalize by scoring 28 points off those turnovers. The Gorloks outshot Westminster 46%-33%, shooting 35% from the three-point line compared to the Blue Jays 25%. The Blue Jays shot 75% from the free throw line going 15-20.
The Westminster Women's basketball team will look to bounce back on Tuesday, January 18th as they take the court against Principia College. The game is a reschedule of the game that was postponed from January 8th. The game is scheduled to tip at 5:30 p.m. in the Historic Gym on the campus of Westminster College.
