By Kaci Mexico

Motivated by the seasoned leadership of senior Lauren Sende, #1 Westmont Women's Basketball (15-1, 4-0 GSAC) defeated Arizona Christian (9-8, 1-3) by a score of 60-51 and continues to remain undefeated in the Golden State Athletic Conference.

The Warriors dominated the first quarter with a pair of five-point runs that contributed to an early lead of 21-13. The first of these runs consisted of a jump shot by junior Cora Chan and a three-pointer by junior Aimee Brakken – each assisted by senior Krissy Karr. The second consisted of a three-pointer assisted by Sende, followed by a layup by Karr.

The second quarter consisted of back-and-forth score by both the Warriors and the Firestorm – even still, the Warriors had their largest lead of the game (14) with 2:43 left in the half. The Firestorm fought to bridge the gap and the half ended with a score of 35-24.

The Firestorm really began to rain down on the Warriors in the third period when they went on a six-point run to decrease the Warriors' lead to just three points (38-35). This run consisted of three layups by Alyssa Gruber, Madison Austin, and Courtney Christmas. In this quarter, the Firestorm outscored the Warriors 15-10 and the half ended with a score of 45-39, favoring the Warriors.

The Warriors and the Firestorm were neck and neck throughout the fourth period. However, led by the defensive efforts of Sende (who had seven rebounds in the fourth period alone), the Warriors successfully maintained their lead until the final buzzer.

Head coach Kirsten Moore shared her initial thoughts on the game.

"All year long the fourth quarter has been really good for us and I think it has been the quarter where our experience and veteran play has been able to come to the top, so, we obviously needed that today," noted Moore. "Arizona Christian played great – they were aggressive, they battled, and I think they played as well or better than us for a lot of this game. They really tested us and I think that in the long run this game will be good for us to learn from."

Moore pointed to the significant contributions of Sende as a key factor in today's victory.

"I think that without a doubt, Lauren Sende was the reason that we won this game," explained Moore. "Not just from what she did on the boards – it is easy to look at the stats sheets and see that she had 16 rebounds – it was also her senior leadership that was extraordinary tonight. She knows what it takes when your back is against the wall in a tight situation and basically willed us to a victory with her attitude. She was phenomenal tonight and was by far the highlight of the night for us. We are very proud of her."

Sende had 16 of the Warrior's 40 rebounds (40 percent).

Junior Aysia Shellmire, Karr, and Brakken led the team in scoring with 12 points each.

"Even in a win there are still a number of things we can learn from and take away from this game," continued Moore. "We were in foul trouble all night. It was good for us to have to work through a tough game with people that we are used to being able to rely on, on the bench. Also, this might be the most turnovers we have had this year, so we need to keep finding ways to take care of the basketball and value every possession."

This coming Saturday the Warriors will travel south to play Cal State San Marcos at 6:00 p.m.

"That is going to be a tough road game for us," said Moore, "especially coming off of this game where it was tight all the way through. We will come together and have a great game plan going into practice tomorrow so that we can try and be as prepared as we can. I think it's really going to be about our mental and physical toughness as we go on the road and try and string together another win against a physical and tough opponent. "

In addition to tonight's game, there were three other GSAC competitions with close scores. #16 The Master's (13-2, 5-0) defeated Hope International (7-5, 0-3) by a score of 61-54, William Jessup (12-4, 3-2) conquered Biola (9-10, 2-3) by a score of 51-49, and Menlo (9-9, 2-3) triumphed over San Diego Christian (5-7, 0-4) by a score of 77-73.