By Ron Smith
February 6, 2020
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) Westmont Women's Basketball (18-3, 11-1 GSAC), ranked fourth in the NAIA, rallied from an eight-point, second-quarter deficit to post a 74-66 Golden State Athletic Conference win over William Jessup (15-8, 8-4).
 
"William Jessup is a really good team," acknowledged Westmont head coach Kirsten Moore. "They are well balanced, they have a great play maker in their point guard, and their post player is such a big threat on the block and the boards."
 
With six seconds left in the first quarter, Juliette Caughey nailed a 3-pointer to give the Warriors from Rocklin a 19-16 lead. Jessup did not relinquish the lead until the third quarter.
 
A 3-pointer by Maud Ranger two and one-half minutes into the third frame, gave Westmont a 41-39 lead. Neither team held more than a three-point advantage the rest of the penultimate period, which ended in a 54-54 tie.
 
With 5:44 to go in the final quarter, Iyree Jarrett launched a long-distance bomb that gave Westmont its largest lead so far at 62-58.
 
A layup by Jessup's Leah Richardson was matched by Stefanie Berberabe before Aycee Willis scored in the paint to make the score 64-62 in favor of Westmont with 3:48 to play.
 
"We are so undersized it is a big challenge, but I am really proud of our players," said Moore. "We started with a game plan, but had to make some adjustments along the way. I thought we found our way in the fourth quarter. We were able to get stops that we needed."
 
Less than 20 second later, Jarrett scored on a layup. A steal by Lauren Tsuneishi gave the Warriors possession and Gabriella Stoll made it count when she launched a 3-point shot from the corner that found the bottom of the net. That made the score 69-62 with just under three minutes to play.
 
After a pair of free throws by Willis made it a five-point game, Ranger recorded another three to put Westmont ahead 72-48 with 1:21 remaining. The deficit proved to be too much for Jessup to overcome.
 
Tsuneishi tallied 15 points on five of nine shooting from beyond the arc. In the team's last four games, Tsuneishi has made 20 of 37 attempts from downtown (54.1%). Tsuneishi also had four rebounds and three assists.
 
"Lauren has been so focused," reported Moore. "She has been aggressively scoring the ball and playing with a lot of confidence, which she should. She puts in the work to deserve to have the confidence that she has. I am proud of how aggressive she is in looking for her shot without any hesitation. That is going to serve her well as we head towards the back end of the session."
 
Stoll came off the bench to match Tusneishi's 15 points while pulling down four rebounds and notching two blocks. Berberabe's hustle provided the Warriors with 14 points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals.
 
"Gaby gave us a really big offensive spark," said Moore. "Stefanie gave us o-boards down the stretch and her scrappiness and play. You know you are going to get all-out heart from our team and they are going to do everything they can to find a way."
 
Jarrett made her presence known with 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists while Ranger tallied 11 points, six rebounds and two steals.
 
"We are so balanced, with five players in double figures, and we were so even on the boards," said Moore. "Tonight, everyone contributed. That makes us hard to game plan for."
 
Not only did every Westmont Warrior that took the court score at least six points, but everyone had at least three rebounds as well.
 
With the win, Westmont remains in a tie with #3 The Master's (23-1, 11-1) atop the GSAC standings. The Master's defeated Menlo (10-11, 6-6), Westmont's next opponent, by a score of 72-55. Vanguard (17-3, 9-2) lurks in third place, just a game and one-half out. Jessup is now in fourth place, three-games behind the leaders.
 
Westmont and Menlo will meet up on Saturday at Murchison Gymnasium. Tip-off is scheduled for noon.