COSTA MESA, Calif. – No. 2 Westmont scored 24 points off of 19 Vanguard turnovers as the Warriors outlasted the 15th-ranked Lions in a defensive struggle, 63-58, in Golden State Athletic Conference women's basketball action on Thursday at The Pit.
The Lions stayed within striking distance throughout the game, but struggled at the free throw line. VU converted on just 11-of-23 from the charity stripe for 47.8 percent. The Warriors shot 64.0 percent from the line after making 16-of-25.
Both teams made the same number of field goals (21) and three-pointers (5). Westmont held a slight 30-26 edge with points in the paint.
Westmont's top two scorers led the way as Stefanie Berberabe had a game-high 23 points while Iyree Jarrett chipped in 22. The Warrior duo combined for 45 of the team's 63 points. Berberabe yanked down 13 rebounds to secure the double-double.
Vanguard's leading scorer at 23.4 points per game, sophomore Melissa Akullu (SO/Kampala, Uganda), finished with 12 points after going scoreless in the first half thanks to early foul trouble.
Guard Lauren Baumgartner (JR/Meridian, ID) scored a season-high 19 points as she sank three treys. She also pulled down 13 rebounds for the double-double. Akullu also posted a double-double with a game-high 14 boards in addition to her 12 points. Guard Gabriela Rosas (SR/Chihuahua, Mexico) completed the double figure scorers for the Lions with 11 points.
What Happened?: It was a defensive battle in the first half as both teams found it difficult to score. The Lions made 8-of-27 from the field, 29.6 percent, including 2-of-11 from three-point territory. The Warriors struggled equally making 10-of-30 floor shots (33.3 percent) and connected on just 1 of their 11 three-point attempts.
The two teams combined for 22 turnovers in the first half with the Warriors responsible for 12 of them. The Lions managed just four points off of those 12 miscues, while the Warriors converted 10 Vanguard turnovers into 10 points.
Baumgartner's three and a jumper from Rosas gave Vanguard a 13-11 lead after one quarter.
However, the offense stalled in the second period as the Lions didn't collect their first field goal until Alyssa Salgado (JR/Whittier, CA)'s layup at the 4:58 mark as Westmont led 20-17. The Warriors also struggled offensively, going five-plus minutes without a bucket until Berberabe's jumper tied the score at 22-22 with 1:19 to go. Berberabe scored eight of Westmont's 11 points in the period, going coast-to-coast for a layup with eight seconds remaining to give the Warriors a 24-22 halftime lead.
Coming out of the locker room, Westmont extended its lead to 36-26 on a Destiny Okonkwo layup with 6:47 to go in the third quarter, but back-to-back threes from Baumgartner got the Lions back within four.
However, the Lions missed their final five shots and three of their last four free throws as Westmont ended the third period with a 42-35 lead.
Akullu trimmed the deficit to 42-37 with a layup to open the final period, but Laila Saenz's three followed by a traditional three-point play from Berberable opened up a 48-37 advantage.
Sydney Brown's layup gave Westmont its largest lead at 50-37 with 6:45 to go, and the Warriors continued to lead by double-digits when Berberabe's free throw made it 55-43 at the 3:35 mark.
Baumgartner got the deficit to single digits as her third three whittled the score to 59-52 with 1:23 left. Baumgartner's layup trimmed the lead to 60-54 with 37 ticks left. Berberabe made three of her last six free throws to prevent the comeback as Akullu's jumper with three seconds remaining resulted in the final 63-58 score.
Why Is It Important?: The Lions picked up their second conference loss to fall to 4-2 overall and 2-2 in GSAC play. Westmont improved to 9-1 overall and 3-1 in league play.
What Was Said?: "We battled tonight and had chances for sure. To have Melissa (Akullu) in foul trouble and hardly play in the first half and be down only two was great," said Head Coach Russ Davis. "Not having Fanny (Giner) and Michaella (Elad) really hurt us in all areas tonight. Proud of our fight. We can't shoot 47 percent from the free throw line and beat a great team like Westmont. I have tons of respect for Westmont and we always make these games close and ugly at times because we know each other so well."
What's Next?: Vanguard returns to action on Saturday with a jaunt to San Diego Christian. The Lions and Hawks tip-off at 5:30 p.m.
