By Ron Smith
January 24, 2019
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) In a Golden State Athletic Conference match-up of NAIA top-25 opponents, #14 Westmont (15-6, 8-3 GSAC) used solid shooting and a tenacious defense to defeat #24 Arizona Christian (15-8, 8-3) by a score of 73-60. As a consequence, the two teams are now tied for second place in the GSAC standings.
 
Four Warriors scored in double figures led by freshman post Sydney Brown who connected for 18 points while pulling down nine rebounds. Brown also notched two blocks. Freshman guard Iyree Jarrett tallied 17 points, while making seven of 10 from the floor, including two of four from three-point range.
 
Westmont, who ranks second in the NAIA in three-point shooting percentage at 38.8 percent, connected on nine of 20 long-range attempts (45.0 percent). Leading the way from beyond the arc was sophomore guard Lauren Tsuneishi who landed five of 10 attempts to total 15 points. Tsuneishi also had three assists.
 
"Lauren played like such a veteran today," noted Westmont head coach Kirsten Moore. "Time after time she knocked down really big shots. Arizona Christian made a lot of tough shots, in the second half especially, and was threatening to come back. I felt like every time that happened, Lauren would step up and hit a big three for us and get the momentum back in our favor."
 
Freshman post Kaitlin Larson added to the Warriors' cause with a double-double consisting of 15 points and 11 rebounds. Larson also dished off three assists. Both starting post players recorded four offensive rebounds each.
 
"We found opportunities to get the ball to Kaitlin and Syd inside," said Moore. "Both of them were huge on the offensive glass. Then [Gabriella Stoll] came into the game and got us three more offensive rebounds. I thought our inside game was great tonight."
 
The Firestorm built an early advantage in the first quarter, leading 12-6 at the first media timeout.
 
"In that timeout, I talked about how we seemed tentative offensively," reported Moore. "We were getting really good looks but we looked hesitant."
 
The Warriors responded to their coach, by outscoring Arizona Christian 12-6 in the remainder of the opening frame, tying the game at 18-all. Two layups by Brown and one by Jarrett were followed by a pair of three-pointers from Tsuneishi.
 
In the first six minutes of the second quarter, Westmont pressed its advantage and produced a 19-7 run. Jarrett provided 12 of the Warriors points during the stretch with a pair of three-point buckets and three layups. She also recorded two of her eight assists during the run.
 
"Iyree was phenomenal across the board," asserted the coach. "She was attacking the rim, she was finishing, she was hitting threes and she was creating opportunities for her teammates. She really did that all night. That is an impressive game for anybody, let alone a freshman."
 
Westmont took a 39-29 lead into the locker room and maintained at least a seven-point lead throughout the second half. The Warriors largest lead came when Larson drained a couple of free throws to put Westmont on top 70-54 with 3:41 to play.
 
Westmont's defense held the Arizona Christian's offense to 14 points below their season average. The Warriors rank third in the NAIA in fewest points allowed, permitting opponents just 51.29 points per game.
 
"Arizona Christian is so dangerous offensively," said Moore. "They have the leading scorer in the country (Courtney Christmas), but so many other offensive weapons as well. So, they are a really tough match-up. We switched up defenses a lot and tried to prevent them from getting into a rhythm against any one defense."
 
Christmas led the Firestorm with 19 points and seven rebounds. Makayla Enders added 15 points and Jada Willingham notched 14.
 
"I thought our players scrapped and played hard and flew around and tried to find shooters. We finished possessions really well on the boards on both ends of the floor. A big difference in the game was our effort on the offensive rebounds and for the most part keeping them off the glass.
 
Westmont out rebounded Arizona Christian 41-25 including a 15-8 advantage on the offensive end.
 
In other GSAC action, #10 The Master's (18-4, 10-1) posted a 76-49 win over the visiting Spirit of OUAZ (8-10, 2-9). Menlo (16-5, 7-4), ranked 13th, notched a road win at Hope International (14-6, 4-7), defeating the Royals 76-68. William Jessup (16-6, 7-4) also won on the road, taking down Life Pacific (1-20, 0-11) by a score of 68-33. Vanguard (15-5, 7-3) and San Diego Christian did not play a conference game today.
 
As a result, the Warriors and Firestorm are two games behind conference leader The Master's. Vanguard is in fourth place but just a half game back of the second-place teams. Menlo and William Jessup are tied for fifth place, another one-half game behind.
 
Westmont will hit the road next week for its annual Northern California road trip. The Warriors will take on William Jessup on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. before facing Menlo on Saturday at 2:00 p.m.