Lincoln, NE 11/22/2022- The Westminster College women's basketball team traveled to Lincoln, Nebraska to take on the Nebraska Wesleyan University Prairie Wolves in their final game before Thanksgiving. The game would be neck and neck throughout, in the end, the Prairie Wolves would go on to win 66-60. Nebraska Wesleyan improves to 3-1 on the season and the Blue Jays fall to 1-3.
Westminster got off to a quick start with a three from Annette Ramirez (Sarcoxie, MO / Sarcoxie) to take a 3-0 lead to start the game. The Prairie Wolves responded and took a 5-3 lead. The Blue Jays would tie it up at the free throw line and they were off to the races. The remainder of the first quarter would be tied and ended with the Jays taking a 15-13 lead.
Ramirez would hit another three to start the second quarter and give the Blue Jays an 18-13 lead. They would hold that lead for the rest of the quarter. Nebraska Wesleyan would cut the lead to two with thirty-six seconds left to play. Aly Bullock (St. James, MO / St. James) hit a three with time running out and get the lead back to five points with a halftime score of 28-23 and the Blue Jays on top.
The Prairie Wolves struck first to start the second half with a pair of a free-throws after a shooting foul was called. Ramirez answered with another three, her third of the game to that point. The Blue Jays continued to hold off Nebraska Wesleyan early in the third quarter, then they would go on a run to take the lead 38-37, their first of the second half and second lead of the game with 2:26 left in the third quarter. The Blue Jays would take the lead back at 40-38, the Prairie Wolves tied it at the free throw line, 40-40. They would take the lead 42-40 after a layup at the end of the quarter.
Ramirez tied the game 42-42 to start the final quarter after drawing a foul and making both free throws. Nebraska Wesleyan then went on a 6-0 run to take a 48-42 lead. The Jays cut the lead to two after a Caragan Lockard (Eolia, MO / Clopton) layup made it 58-56. The Prairie Wolves would continue to do damage from the free throw line, going 8-9 for the line at the end of the game. They would win the game by six over the Blue Jays 66-60.
Ramirez led the way with 21 points and 6 rebounds. She would go 4-5 from behind the three-point arc. Shelby Kurtz (Camdenton, MO/ Camdenton) had 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals.
The Blue Jays will be back in action after the Thanksgiving holiday when they host Washington University in St. Louis on December 1st at 5:30 PM from the Historic Gym.
