By Rob Goodrow
November 16, 2019
 
(THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.) The NAIA ranked #8 Westmont women's basketball team defeated Cal Lutheran 78-55 for their first road win of the young season. The Warriors (2-1) outscored their hosts by 20 points combined in the second and third quarters to take control of the Saturday afternoon contest.
 
"It was a big step for us to get a win on the road today," said Westmont head coach Kirsten Moore. "We did a nice job being balanced on the offensive end. Everyone contributed."
 
The Warriors fell behind in the first quarter by as many as ten points before closing the gap to three as the period ended on a made 3-pointer by guard Iyree Jarrett.
 
"Our defense was a little slow to get going in the first (quarter)," explained Moore. "Once we found our footing in the rotations we dug in, got some stops and made hustle plays that translated into scoring on the other end."
 
It took a good portion of the second quarter for Westmont to pull ahead of the Regals. Down one with 2:37 left in the half, the Warriors went on an 11-0 run fueled by some timely 3-point shooting. Guard Taylor Rarick's two 3-point field goals sandwiched a three by post Kaitlin Larson as the Warriors finished the first half with a seven-point advantage, 41-34.
 
The Warriors shot a modestly efficient 41% from the field and made 13 of 38 from beyond the 3-point arc (34%), but it was their ability to sustain possessions that eventually wore down their hosts. Westmont hauled in 18 offensive rebounds, nearly half of their 38 total boards for the game.
 
"I am happy with how we scrapped on the boards and made hustle plays," said Moore. "We had 18 offensive rebounds. We shot better than last game but still not quite up to our level of capability. We made up for it with our hustle plays."
 
What the Warriors also did was close out quarters on scoring runs. With 1:38 remaining in the third, the Regals' Taylor Oshiro made a layup to pull them within nine points of the visitors. Westmont's Jarrett then responded with a made three and a steal that sparked a 7-2 run to put the Warriors up 60-44.
 
"Iyree had a really great offensive game," noted Moore. "She was hitting threes, attacking the rim and finding open teammates. She was a leader on the offensive end."
 
Jarrett finished as the Warrior high scorer with 18 points on seven of 11 from the field, knocking down three 3-pointers on six attempts. On the other side of the ball, Westmont took away nine steals from the Regals, contributing to their 21 turnovers for the game.
 
"In the second half, I was pleased with our defense," said Moore. "We held them to 21 points and we wore them out with our pressure."
 
The visiting Warriors outscored Cal Lutheran 18-11 in the final quarter.
 
"Overall, this was an important win as we figure out our new roles, our new rotations with only eight players in uniform," said Moore. "Our bench produced some positive results as Krissy Miyahara and Taylor came in and hit threes that got us going on offense."
 
Another player Coach Moore singled out for her consistency throughout the game was starting guard Stefanie Berberabe.
 
"Stef had a good first half for us but she played a solid game throughout. She does a little bit of everything for us and sometimes you don't even realize what she's done."
 
Berberabe shot an efficient 57% on four-for-seven from the field for eight points, collecting six rebounds, five assists and five steals.
 
The Warriors return home next week to host a four-team invitational that includes four of the top 10 ranked NAIA squads in the nation. Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) faces host Westmont Friday, November 22 at 6:00 p.m.