By Kaci Mexico

March 17, 2017

(BILLINGS, Mont.) In the second round of the 2017 NAIA Women's Basketball National Tournament, Kayla Sato had a double-double and game highs of 21 points and 11 rebounds to propel #7 Westmont Women's Basketball (28-4) to a 65-53 win over Lyon of Arkansas (28-5) - with this victory, the Warriors advance to the quarterfinals.

"I think Sato just had an attacking mentality today and did a great job getting to the rim," noted head coach Kirsten Moore. "She really got us going aggressively in the first half - but even more than her scoring, which obviously was hugely important, she led us in rebounds today and really used her athleticism to her advantage - it was awesome."

Along with Sato, Lauren McCoy also had a double-double with 12 points and ten rebounds. "McCoy was able to be really effective both in the high post hitting shots as well as taking it to the basket," continued Moore. "I thought offensively things were a lot smoother for us today."

The two teams traded baskets until midway through the first quarter, when Sato hit back-to-back jump shots to spark a 9-2 Westmont run (13-6). Following this run, each team scored five points and the first quarter ended with the Warriors up by seven in a score of 18-11. The second quarter was much tighter as the Warriors outscored the Scots 21-20; however, Westmont led by eight at halftime (39-31).

Led by Taylor Elliot, the Scots launched into the second half with a 10-0 run to take their first lead of the game – Elliot scored the first six points, and Sarah Elkins and Kiara Moore each had two points (39-41).

"We called two time-outs during that run and kept reiterating that the way we get momentum back is off of our defense," explained Moore, "and the women really bought into that and so finally we were able to turn the tides a little bit and fight back."

It was Sato who hit a three-pointer to stop this run, and send the Warriors on a 10-3 run to close out the third quarter with a five point lead (49-44). Aysia Shellmire contributed seven of these points – Shellmire had 15 points on the night. "When Kayla stepped up and hit a three out of that second timeout, it was huge for us," noted Moore, "and then we were able to get Aysia going inside and she made some tough strong finishes."

Sato reflected on her role in this key shift in momentum and said, "I was just thinking we need to do whatever it takes to win this game, and at that moment, we needed to score."

Lyon immediately bridged the gap to three when Elkins hit a jump shot to start out the fourth quarter. Sato and McCoy answered with a basket a piece to put the Warriors up by seven with 6:50 remaining; and then a minute later, the Lyon's Maddison Riley hit a three-pointer to come within four. With 5:34 remaining, Aimee Brakken, who had been tightly guarded the entire game, got off a jump shot to ignite an 11-0 run to give the Warriors a more secure 15 point lead (64-49) –McCoy put up two layups, Shellmire made two free throws, and Cora Chan hit a three-pointer. For the remaining two and a half minutes, the Warriors held off the Scots and maintained a significant lead. 

"I think for Lyon to take the lead and us to answer back and play the way that we did in the fourth quarter says a lot about our tenacity and fight that we showed tonight," reflected Moore.

"I was most pleased with our defense in the first and fourth quarters – we played outstanding defense," continued Moore. "For a team that shoots the ball so well, we held them to only two three-pointers made – they average over eight. That was one of our huge cues today was to try and defend the three-point line, we feel like that's how they get their momentum. They also usually average 76.7 points a game, so for us to hold them to 23 points below their average was huge."

Overall, the Warriors out-rebounded the Scots 38 to 22.

In tomorrow's quarterfinal matchup, the Warriors will face second ranked and top seeded Lewis-Clark State of Idaho (33-1) - tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. (5:00 p.m. PDT).

Click HERE for the updated 2017 Tournament Bracket.