Heading into Saturday's women's basketball game, the Westminster Blue Jays and the Iowa Wesleyan Tigers were tied for first place in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC). The Blue Jays came out victorious with a 62-49 win, leaving them as the sole team in the number one spot with a 10-2 conference record. They are on an eight-game winning streak with a 14-4 overall record.
"What a big win!" stated Head Coach Tracey Braden. "It was nice to nab a win on the road against a team as tough as Iowa Wesleyan."
"This win was so huge for us," junior guard Payton Gruber added. "Playing with this team is exciting, but we have a long road ahead of us and we need to stay consistent."
The Blue Jays jumped out to an 8-4 lead to start the game, and junior Krista Armontrout scored the remaining 10 points scored to give the Blue Jays an 18-10 advantage at the end of the first quarter. Armontrout accounted for 14 of the team's 18 points in the first quarter.
"Krista (Armontrout) came out on fire in the first half and was a big jump for us on the offensive end," commented Coach Braden on Armontrout's strong first quarter performance. "The ladies recognized she was hot and kept feeding her the ball."
The Tigers brought the game within four points with 6:24 to go in the first half, forcing the Blue Jays to call a timeout. Gruber made a three-pointer coming out of the timeout, and Armontrout continued to be successful down low with two more baskets to give the Blue Jays a nine-point lead, 27-18. Senior Sadie Theroff hit a three-pointer with 1:05 left in the half to take a 30-20 lead, but the Tigers hit a three and two free throws prior to halftime, leaving the Blue Jays up by just five, 30-25.
Senior Kasey Gatson scored the first five points for the Blue Jays in the second half, followed by a three-pointer by junior Andrea Zalis that put them back up by 10 points, 39-29. The Tigers managed six unanswered points in just 30 seconds, forcing the Blue Jays to call a 20-second timeout. Theroff came out of the timeout and sank a three-pointer. The game stayed within four points, but Zalis scored the final basket of the third quarter from beyond the arc to give the Blue Jays a 47-40 advantage heading into the final 10 minutes of play.
The Tigers went 2-for-2 from the foul line to bring the game within five at the beginning of the fourth quarter, but Gatson answered with two consecutive jumpers. The Blue Jays allowed the Tigers within six points, but Gruber scored eight points in the final 1:06 including going 6-for-6 from the foul line to win the game 62-49.
"We all really meshed well and the bench has been unbelievable," stated Gruber on the bench player's performance. The bench accounted for 11 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's win.
Armontrout pulled down eight boards including five defensive boards, and Gatson finished with five assists. Coach Braden mentioned that the Blue Jays did a great job taking care of the ball; the Blue Jays finished with just eight turnovers in the 40 minutes on the floor.
The Blue Jays host Fontbonne University on Wednesday, February 3, as they host their Coaches vs. Cancer game. Tip-off is at 6:00 pm, and fans will have the opportunity to release a purple balloon at halftime in honor and/or in support of anyone who battled or is battling cancer. T-shirts and "in support of" cards will be sold at the game with all proceeds going to the American Cancer Society.
