Fulton, Mo 1/29/2022- Westminster College's senior guard Reese Arnold (Lonedell, Mo. / Washington) set a new school record for points in a game, scoring 45. Arnold would also tie a school record for field goals made in a game going 16-22. She also went 10-10 from the free-throw line and 3-4 from the three-point line. The Blue Jays defeated the Eureka College Red Devils 93-65. The Westminster Blue Jays improve to 11-8 overall and 7-1 in the SLIAC.
Arnold got rolling early, hitting a three and a transition layup on back-to-back possessions early in the first period. Then Corrie Reece (Cape Girardeau, Mo. / Cape Central) got a steal that led to a coast-to-coast layup. Arnold would get one of her five steals at the 6:59 mark in the first quarter, which would lead to an easy bucket and propel the Blue Jays to an early 10-2 advantage over the Red Devils. The Jays played suffocating defense throughout the first period, holding Eureka to just eight points total. When the quarter ended, Westminster led 20-8.
Reese Arnold and the Blue Jays continued to stay hot in the second quarter. Caragan Lockard (Eolia, MO / Clopton) and Annette Ramirez (Sarcoxie, MO / Sarcoxie) would get in on the scoring action, with Lockard scoring six and Ramirez scoring five points in the quarter. They would put their team on top 44-25 at halftime. Westminster continued to roll in the 2nd half and would close out the show with a final score of 93-65.
Head coach Talisha Washington said after the game, "We did a good job on both sides of the ball today. Our free throws were huge today, and we knew that in order to secure the win, we had to defend all four quarters. We still have a lot to work on over the next couple of weeks, but we're getting better."
Arnold would score 11 points in the first, second quarter, and third quarter. She would score 12 in the fourth and cap off her record-breaking day on a driving layup, giving her a career-high and school-record 45 points in the game. She also notched six rebounds, five steals, and two blocks.
Coach Washington said of Arnold, "I am very proud of Reese for adding this accolade to her career at Westminster. She is a winner, and will rank among the best scorers in the history of this program."
Madison Schaeffer (Cincinnati, Ohio / Fairfield) would score all her 11 points in the second half. Ramirez would chip in 11 points off the bench. Shelby Kurtz (Camdenton, Mo. / Camdenton) added seven points and had a team-high six rebounds.
The Westminster women's basketball team will be back in action on Tuesday, February 1st, going on the road to take on the Principia College Panthers. That game will tip at 5:30 p.m.
