By Ron Smith
February 22, 2020
 
(SANTA CLARITA, Calif.) In a Golden State Athletic Conference showdown between two teams ranked in the NAIA top-five, #4 Westmont Women's Basketball (23-3, 15-1 GSAC) produced a 56-44 victory over second-ranked The Master's (­26-2, 14-2). With the win, the Warriors claimed a one-game hold on first place in the conference standings with two games to go.
 
"I have to give it to our coaches. They are amazing," said sophomore guard Iyree Jarrett. "They study film and look at what the best game plan is. We made adjustments from last game to this game. Last time, they were taking away our shooters. We did some things to create those looks, exploit it from the high post and crash the o-boards as hard as we could."
 
The undersized Warriors, who average five-foot five and one-half inches, used a stingy defense to overcome a team that averages nearly five-foot ten. Despite the size difference, the Warriors equaled the number of rebounds pulled down by the Mustangs (40 each).
 
"One of our three goals coming in was to try and outrebound them, or at least try to stay with them," said Westmont sophomore post Kaitlin Larson. "Rebounding has been the difference maker in all of our games. I think we did really well trying to be super tough."
 
"Our whole goal was to be the scrappier team – being the first to 50-50 balls, diving on the floors, really being aggressive and crashing the boards," reported Jarrett. "It was our heart collectively as a team that went into that, working as a team as hard as we could."
 
Jarrett and Stefanie Berberabe each tallied 18 points to lead the Warriors in scoring.
 
"We know when we play Master's that they are really worried about our shooters – Lauren Tsuneishi and Maud Ranger," explained Jarrett. "So that really opens up the inside a lot for the high post, for Stef and me, and also for the dump passes to Gaby (Stoll) and Kaitlin. The fact that we have such great shooters out on the perimeter really opens up the inside and we were really trying to exploit that."
 
The Warriors lead the NAIA in 3-point shooting, averaging 12.2 per game. Master's was successful in limiting the Warriors to just eight made 3-pointers (four by Jarrett), but it came the cost of opening up the Warriors' inside game.
 
Another challenge facing the Warriors was defending against an opponent that averages 76.4 points per game.
 
"We had a really good game plan going into it and we executed what we set out to do really well. We were really physical and we just wanted to be the tougher team," noted Larson.
 
The Mustang's Stephanie Soares, who stands at 6-6 and averages 20.6 points and 13.0 rebounds per game presented the Warriors with another challenge. Westmont limited Soares to nine points.
 
"We were trying to be super physical with her," said Larson. "That is the only advantage we have - to try and be physical. If she touches two feet away from the block, she is really good and she is going to make it. We just tried to do our best to try and minimize her points and make it harder for her."
 
Soares is a not just a threat to score, but to rebound and block as well. Her 15 rebounds and three blocks lead both teams.
 
"When we play them, we are always very conscious that there is a 6-6 blocking machine in there," said Jarrett. "I know she got me a couple of times. But, we go in with the mindset that we can't be afraid to attack the basket. If we just settle for outside shots or high post shots, then they are winning. It is their goal to get us to not attack the basket."
 
Scoring came slowly at the beginning of the game with the score tied at eight, eight and one-half minutes into the first quarter. A 3-pointer by Jarrett, gave Westmont an 11-8 lead at the end of the opening period.
 
Those three points proved to be the beginning of a 12-point run that continued with a three by Tsuneishi and a couple of buckets by Berberabe.
 
Though The Master's would come within one point twice in the third quarter, Westmont did not relinquished the lead the rest of the game.
 
With 6:07 remaining in the third quarter, Sabrina Thompson drained one of two free throw attempts to make the score 30-29. A minute later, however, Berberabe hit a jumper to put the Warriors back up by three.
 
Then with 2:09 to go in the penultimate period, Anika Newman's jumper pulled the Mustangs within one at 34-33. This time it was Jarrett that scored on a layup to make the score 36-33 headed into the final frame.
 
"That happens to us sometimes," said Larson about the Mustang's runs. "We just say, 'Ok, that's their run, now it's ours.' I think we did a good job of sticking with it and not worrying too much about the score, even if we were really close."
 
A layup and a 3-pointer by Jarrett to open the fourth quarter gave Westmont a 41-33 advantage with 9:03 remaining in regulation. A 7-2 run by the Mustangs brought The Master's within three (43-40) with 6:43 to play, but Westmont closed out the game on 13-4 run to secure the victory.
 
The victory means that Westmont needs just one win in their final two games to clinch the number one seed in the upcoming GSAC Tournament and, therefore, host the tournament at Murchison Gymnasium.
 
The Warriors will have their first opportunity to pick up that victory on Thursday night, February 27, when they host the Hawks of San Diego Christian (5-23, 0-16) on Senior Night.