By Ron Smith
January 3, 2019
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) Other than a bucket each by Sydney Brown and Gabriella Stoll, only three Warriors scored in tonight's Golden State Athletic Conference women's basketball game. However, that proved to be enough as #15 Westmont (10-4, 4-1 GSAC) posted a 62-59 victory over #11 Menlo (11-3, 2-2 GSAC) on Thursday evening in Murchison Gymnasium.
 
Freshman guard Iyree Jarrett led the Warriors in scoring with 24 points while adding six rebounds and four assists. Jarrett went four for four from three-point range – all in the second half.
 
Sophomore guard Lauren Tsuneishi contributed 19 points and two assists while going five for 11 from beyond the arc. Freshman post player Kaitlin Larson recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Larson was five of seven from the field in the first half.
 
Menlo scored first on a pair of free throws, but Westmont scored the next nine points. Layups by Jarrett and Larson were followed by a three-pointer from Tsuneishi and another layup by Larson.
 
The Oaks scored again on a free throw before Westmont reeled off nine more points in a row to go up 18-3. Another layup by Larson was followed by a pair of free throws from Tsuneishi and an and-one play by Larson. Stoll completed the second run of nine with a layup.
 
Menlo recorded its first field goal on a layup by Destinee Bowie with three second remaining in the first quarter. Bowie, who entered the game averaging 19.2 points per game, recorded 15 points and 12 rebounds.
 
The Oaks whittled away at Westmont's lead in the second half and came within five points when Aliyah Brantley scored on a layup with 6:41 remaining before intermission to make the score 20-15. However, a three-pointer by Tsuneishi and a layup by Larson restored a 10-point cushion to the Warriors (25-15).
 
Brantley led the Oaks in scoring with 20 points. She also notched seven rebounds, five steals and two blocks.
 
With 1:32 remaining in the second quarter, Tsuneishi hit another three to put Westmont on top 31-18. A free throw by Larson resulted in the largest lead of the half and produced a halftime score of 32-18.
 
The third quarter saw the Oaks stand tall. After Jarrett scored on a layup to push Westmont's advantage to 16, Menlo scored the next 11 points to pull with five at 34-29. Larson stepped out beyond the arc to nail a three-pointer and make it an eight-point game, but Mira Love-Sangco responded in kind and Brantley connected on a jumper to make the score 37-34 with 2:35 left in the penultimate period.
 
The Warriors rallied, however, with a 12-4 run in the final two-plus minutes to go up 49-38. With 2:10 showing on the clock, Jarrett drained the first of her threes, then did it again 50 seconds later. After a pair of free throws by Tsuneishi and a layup by Brantley, Jarrett hit another three. Brantley scored on another layup before Jarrett hit a free throw to record her 10th point in just over two minutes.
 
As the final frame opened, Tsuneishi struck again from long distance, giving Westmont a 52-38 advantage. Menlo cut the deficit to 10 with a pair of free throws by Salome Cordinier and a layup by Brantley before a free throw by Jarrett and another three from Tsuneishi made the scored 56-42.
 
Once again, the Oaks rallied, cutting the Warriors lead to just three points (58-55) with a 13-2 run. Jarrett's final three-pointer with 3:26 to play put Westmont back on top by six (61-55), but layups by Brantley and Bowie brought the Oaks within two points (61-59) with 1:25 remaining in regulation.
 
Both teams missed shots on their next possessions, forcing Menlo to foul Jarrett with 26 seconds remaining. Jarrett made one of two attempts to make the score 62-59. In the final 22 seconds, Menlo would take and miss four shots – three from beyond the arc – each followed by an offensive rebound. Finally, the buzzer sounded, giving Westmont the win.
 
As a result of the win, Westmont is tied with #21 The Master's (11-4, 4-1) for second place in the GSAC standings, one half game behind #5 Vanguard (12-2, 4-0).
 
The Warriors return to the Murchison hardwood Saturday afternoon to take on #24 William Jessup (12-3, 3-1) who is tied with Arizona Christian (10-6, 3-1) for fourth place in the GSAC, just one-half game back of Westmont. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.