By Kaci Mexico

March 16, 2017

(BILLINGS, Mont.) Aimee Brakken lit up the three-point line and hit six three pointers (18 points) to lead Westmont Women's Basketball (28-4) to a 57-52 victory over Louisiana State University Shreveport (22-10) in the first round of the 2017 NAIA Women's Basketball National Tournament. Along with Brakken, two other Warriors scored in the double-digits – Cora Chan had 14 points and Kayla Sato had 12.

"We knew when we got this matchup and started watching film that this game was going to be a real challenge - they have got some really strong posts inside and also have a couple of dynamic scorers," said head coach Kirsten Moore. "We also knew a big key was going to be rebounding tonight. They are just really dangerous on the offensive glass and we were able to out-rebound them by 8 –which was huge."

Led by Lauren McCoy with nine rebounds, the Warriors pulled down a total of 43 rebounds, while the Pilots had 35.

"I think it was a game that we just had to grind it out, which is not always pretty," continued Moore. "Every single possession on both sides of the floor was really tough and challenging, but I think we have players who have been in this situation before and they made really big plays when they needed too."

Midway through the first quarter, the Pilots got off to a good start when they hit back-to-back three-pointers to take a five point lead – their largest of the game (3-8). The Warriors responded with an 8-2 run to end the quarter ahead by one (11-10) – Brakken hit two three-pointers and Kayla Sato made a jump shot.

At the Start of the second period, Westmont grabbed momentum with a 7-0 run to take an eight point lead – their largest of the game; but, the Pilots answered with an 8-0 run to tie it up 20-20. Ultimately, the Warriors outscored the Pilots 15-12 in the second and the first half ended with the Warriors up 26-22. In the third period, the Pilots fought to outscore the Warriors 17 to 13 and made it a 39-39 tie game, going into the final quarter.

It came down to the fourth quarter, with neither team showing any sign of giving in. Two and a half minutes in, LSU Shreveport's Courtney Randle hit a three-pointer to take the Pilot's first lead since the first quarter (42-45). Westmont's Chan immediately decreased the deficit to one with a jump shot, and then on Shreveport's next possession, McCoy took an offensive charge that coach Moore called "the play of the game".

"Because of McCoy's offensive charge, their best player picked up her fourth foul and had to sub out with six and a half minutes left – that really changed the momentum of the game for us," reflected Moore.

Brakken took advantage of the Warriors' next possession and hit a three-pointer, and Sato followed with a jump shot to give Westmont a four point lead with 4:07 remaining (49-45). Sixteen seconds later, the Pilots' Kourtney Pennywell put up a layup to make it a two point game. For the next two and a half minutes, the Pilots sought to earn a lead, while the Warriors attempted to build upon the small lead they had - but neither team could score. Then, with 1:07 remaining, Brakken sunk a crucial three-pointer from the top of the key to put the Warriors up by five (52-47).

"It was a tough shot and I don't even know how she got it off," explained Moore. "She didn't have a lot of time because they were chasing her all over, trying to make sure she didn't have any open looks – but she just stepped up and hit it."

For the remainder of the game, the Pilots fouled to stop the clock. However, the Warriors made the majority of their free throws to close out the game– Chan and Sato each made one, and Shellmire made three.

Brakken credited her teammates in her success from the three-point line. "I have really good teammates, and they set some awesome screens tonight," said Brakken. "In every single one of those three-pointers, my teammates set me up for success and I was just fortunate enough to knock them down."

Moore pointed to seniors Brakken and Chan as key contributors in today's game. "I can't say enough about the offensive focus, tenacity and competitiveness from Aimee Brakken and Cora Chan - both of them hit big shots for us," said Moore. "Cora is always clutch, and then Brakken came out firing for us from the start of the first half and then down the stretch as she hit that three-pointer that really put us in control of the game –Those are just two seniors making really big plays for us."

Moore made her final remarks about today's result.

"A lot of times at this time of the year, you just have to try and grind it out and find a way to make just those few plays that are going to win the game for you, and then you get the chance to play tomorrow," noted Moore. "We are excited about the opportunity to keep going and to hopefully have another great game tomorrow."

With this win Westmont advances to the second round where they will face ninth ranked and third seeded Lyon of Arkansas (28-5). The Scots are led in scoring by Kiara Moore who averages 13.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.

The Warriors and the Scots have only faced each other two times before - in the first rounds of both the 2012 and 2015 NAIA Women's Basketball National Tournaments. In 2012, Westmont won 74-63 to and in 2015, the Warriors were victorious in a score of 59-57.

Tip-off is scheduled for tomorrow at 4:15 p.m. (3:15 p.m. PDT)

"We will have a great scouting report ready for Lyon, as I am sure they will for us," said Moore. "Style wise, it is going to be a completely contrasting game to today's game, but I think that one of the things we are good at is being able to take a scouting report and be able to apply it in a short amount of time."