Greenville, Ill. – The Westminster College Blue Jays women's basketball team was back in action tonight looking to bounce back from their first SLIAC loss of the season. The Blue Jays took on the Greenville University Panthers on the road and put together a total team effort to get the victory 84-67.
The Blue Jays got to work right out of the gate as a Kallee Dowler three pointer gave the Blue Jays an early 5-3 lead. An Abbie Reece three pointer and a lay-up by Shelby Kurtz, making the first start of her young career, off of an Abbie Reece assist stretched the lead to 10-5. Greenville would chip away at the Westminster lead eventually taking a 14-13 lead on a Madelyn Steven jumper. It was the last lead of the night for the Panthers. Two Makayla Jackson free throws would give the Blue Jays the lead back for good at 15-14. Abbie Reece would hit back to back three pointers to end the first quarter on an 8-0 run with the Blue Jays up 21-14.
The second quarter would see the Blue Jays continue their hot play as a Dowler three off of a Madison Schaeffer assist with 6:46 to play gave the Jays their first double figure lead at 30-18. Westminster would use a 14-6 run capped by an Abbie Reece lay up to take a 41-24 lead into halftime.
Back to Back three pointers by Kurtz and Dowler would push the lead to over 20 points at 49-27 with 7:36 left to go in the third quarter. The teams would trade baskets the rest of the quarter and the Blue Jays would see themselves with a 66-45 lead after an Abbie Reece lay up just before the quarter ended.
The Blue Jay lead would grow to as many as 27 in the fourth quarter after Avylina Powel-Qualo blocked a shot, got the rebound and took it the length of the floor for a lay-up. The Blue Jays would then cruise to the 84-67 victory.
The Blue Jays were led by Shelby Kurtz s she led four Blue Jays in double figures with 16. Dowler followed with 15 aided by a 4-7 performance from the three point line. Abbie Reece had 14 off the bench and Powel-Qualo chipped in 12.
Abby Nichols continued her strong play off the bench leading the Jays in rebounding with nine. Schaeffer contributed seven rebounds and Powel-Qualo six. The Blue Jays outrebounded the Panthers 46-36.
The Blue Jays shot 46.5% from the field, 38.1% from the three-point line in route to the victory. The Blue Jays improve to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the SLIAC.
The Blue Jays will return home this coming Friday night to Historic Gym to take on the Blackburn College Beavers. The game is scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. tip off.
