By Ron Smith
November 6, 2018
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) Freshmen post players Sydney Brown and Kaitlin Larson exploded for 25 points each as Westmont opened the 2018-19 campaign with an 80-60 win over the Regals of California Lutheran. Brown also pulled down 15 board to record her first collegiate double-double. Larson nearly did the same, tallying nine rebounds.
 
Westmont had a slow start to the game, falling behind 14-5 in the first five minutes. By the end of the first quarter, however, the Warriors had nearly made up the difference. Iyree Jarrett, also a freshman, scored on a layup with six seconds remaining in the opening frame to cut the deficit to 17-16. Jarrett accounted for 11 of the Warrior's points while notching five rebounds and dishing out four assists.
 
"I thought tonight was a great opening game for a number of reasons," said Westmont head coach Kirsten Moore. "One was that Cal Lu came out firing on all cylinders and came at us. I thought that was good for us. They got a pretty big lead on us and put us in a position where we had to respond, especially on the defensive end of the floor. As young as we are, they were running new stuff we hadn't defended before. We were able to make some adjustments and I think that helped."
 
After surrendering the first five points of the second quarter, Westmont scored the next seven points on layups by Jarret and Brown and a three-point dagger by Taylor Rarick. The result was Westmont's first lead (23-22, with 6:13 showing on the clock), since Larson scored on the game's first basket, 14 seconds into the contest.
 
Once again, the Regals rallied, establishing a five-point advantage which they maintained over the next three and one-half minutes. Down 34-27, with 2:37 before intermission, Westmont went on a 10-0 run to take a 37-34 lead into the locker room. Larson scored twice to start the run, followed by field goals by Jarrett, Maud Ranger and Brown.
 
"Offensively, we were able to find our rhythm with our inside game," explained Moore. "It was amazing with both freshman posts scoring 25 points tonight and getting it done on the boards. We can be a really balanced team with our great perimeter shooting, but tonight our advantage was inside.
 
"The other big thing for us was the scrappy effort on the boards and relentless rebounding. We had 50 total rebounds, including 23 offensive rebounds."
 
In the first five minutes of the third quarter, Westmont extended its advantage to 11 points (49-38). The Regals, however, created a 10-0 run over the next two and one-half minutes to pull within one (49-48). The Regals' run came to an end with a jumper by Westmont's Stefanie Berberabe.
 
After California Lutheran's Danielle Roberts responded with a layup, Larson scored in the paint, putting Westmont up 53-50. The only other point of the penultimate period was a free throw by Jarrett.
 
The fourth quarter started with a three-point bucket by the Regal's Jade Jordan, cutting the deficit to one (54-53). Westmont's Krissy Miyahara responded with a three of her own before Berberabe provided a jumper in the paint to put the Warriors on top 59-53.
 
A layup by Haley Tyrell made the score 59-55, before Westmont put the game away with a 16-1 run over the next seven and one-half minutes.
 
In the final minute of play, Roberta Hays and Gabriella Stoll put the icing on the cake with a pair of buckets to give Westmont its largest lead of the game at 80-57.
 
"We stepped up to another level in the fourth quarter," said Moore. "It's exciting to see that that from our young group of players out there. Everyone is ready to contribute and play hard and make good things happen."
 
On Friday, Westmont's squad of one senior, one junior, two sophomores and six freshmen will take on another SCIAC team in Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.
 
"Claremont has won four or five straight SCIAC conference championships," noted Moore. "They are an excellent team that is well coached. It will be another great battle and good test for our young team."
 
Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in Murchison Gymnasium.