By Ron Smith
March 20, 2018
 
(BILLINGS, Mont.) Despite five Warriors scoring in double figures, Westmont fell a bit short in its bid for a second national championship. Westmont lost to Freed-Hardeman of Tennessee (34-4) by a score of 76-64 in the NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship game.
 
"I am incredibly proud of this team and what this group accomplished this year," said Westmont head coach Kirsten Moore. "We have been through a lot and this team showed its resiliency down to the very last buzzer here tonight.
 
"Obviously, it is hard to end on a loss after the run that we have been on. The things we can control – our attitude, our effort, our 'team-ism', what we stand for, what we are about – those things were so solid tonight. I want my young women to walk with their heads high about who they are, what they represented and what it means to be a Warrior."
 
Joy Krupa led the Warriors in scoring with 15 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals. After the game, Krupa was presented with the NAIA Hustle Award which is given to the player in the tournament, "giving her team a spark based on her hustle throughout the tournament." Krupa is the first Westmont Women's Basketball player to receive this award.
 
Lauren McCoy tallied 13 points for the Warriors, pulled down nine rebounds and dished off four assists. McCoy finished her Westmont career as the Warriors' leading scorer with 1,538 points. McCoy was named to the All-Tournament First Team and honored as an NAIA Scholar-Athlete.
 
Morgan Haskin made five of seven shots from the field and two for two from the charity stripe to record 12 points. Haskin finished her four-years atop the Warriors' career field goal percentage list at .568 (325 of 572).
 
Lauren Tsuneishi recorded 11 points and four assists and was named to the All-Tournament Second Team as a freshman.  Maud Ranger also contributed 11 points to the Warriors' cause.
 
Of the Lions' 76 points, 69 were scored by three players – Sandrea Sylman with 24, Kim Mallory with 23 and Carrie Hatchel with 22. Hatchel came off the bench to make six of seven 3-point attempts.
 
"Those three players had some of the best games of their careers on the night it mattered the most," said Moore. "We tried a lot of different things to slow their scorers down. They had an answer for everything. Credit to them, they were really good tonight."
 
The Lions' shot 49.1 percent from the field (27 of 55) including 61.5 percent from beyond the arc (8 of 13). The Warriors made 44.8 percent (26 of 58) of their shots including 33.3 percent from 3-point range (7 of 21).
 
The Lions jumped out to a strong start in the first quarter, taking a 23-15 lead, and then extended their advantage to 39-27 in the second quarter. Westmont played Freed-Hardeman even in the second half while pulling to within five with 49 second remaining in the game. However Westmont was unable to further reduce the deficit.
 
"I thought we were fighters and fought the way I knew our team would all the way to the end," said Moore. "I am really proud of my team and the effort they have given all year. Tonight was no different. They gave phenomenal effort. That is all any of us can ask."
 
The Warriors end their 2017-18 season with a record of 26-7 and as the Golden State Athletic Conference Regular Season Champion, the GSAC Tournament Champion and the NAIA National Runner-up.
 
Under Moore as head coach, this was the 11th year in the last 12 that Westmont has been a part of the National Tournament field. During that span the Warriors have made five quarterfinal appearances, three semifinal appearances, two championship game appearances and hold one NAIA National Championship.