Westmont College Athletics

By Ron Smith
March 11, 2020
 
(KANSAS CITY, Mo.) For the first time in program history, Westmont (27-3) has been named the overall number one seed at the NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship. The Warriors are scheduled to open play on Thursday, March 19 in Billings, Montana against MidAmerica Nazarene of Kansas (17-11). The Pioneers are the number eight seed in the Naismith Bracket.
 
"Obviously, it is an honor for these ladies to be recognized for their work and their results," said Westmont head coach Kirsten Moore regarding the team's top seeding. "We had one of the strongest strength of schedules in the country and have six wins over top-10 teams. I could not be prouder of what this group has accomplished."
 
The news of Westmont's number one seed was dampened a bit when the NAIA announced in a statement from NAIA President and CEO Jim Carr, "that due to the widespread health risks posed by COVID-19, it will limit fan attendance at all remaining winter championships: men's and women's DI basketball championships, as well as the inaugural men's and women's bowling championships."
 
The statement went on to clarify that, "Championship attendance will be limited to only essential staff and limited family members. We know this is disappointing to participating student-athletes and fans, but the health and wellness of all those involved with our championship events is our top priority."
 
The Warriors, previously ranked at number three, leapt into the top position of the Final NAIA Coaches' Poll after winning the Golden State Athletic Conference Tournament championship. Former number one Oklahoma City (30-2) and number two Campbellsville of Kentucky (29-3) lost in their respective conference tournaments. As a result, Oklahoma City dropped to number three and Campbellsville dropped to number four.
 
The Master's (29-3), which had been ranked fourth, dropped to fifth after falling to Westmont in the GSAC Tournament. Wayland Baptist of Texas (21-2) moved up from number five to number two.
 
Westmont and MidAmerica Nazarene have met twice before. The first meeting was at the Rotary Classic in Jackson, Tennessee on November 25, 2016. In that match-up, the Pioneers prevailed 56-53. The second time was in the quarterfinals of the 2018 National Championship in Billings. Westmont won that contest 65-54 and went on to reach the championship game.
 
"We have so much respect for MidAmerica Nazarene's program," said Moore. "We have played them previously and have had really challenging competition. Their coach (Jon Lewis) has built a really successful program. It is going to be a battle in that first game and that is all that we are looking at now."
 
MidAmerica Nazarene is one of six teams from the Heart of America Athletic Conference to qualify for the 32-team tournament. The Pioneers finished tied for fifth in the HAAC standings with a record of 16-8 in regular season play. In the HAAC conference tournament, MidAmerica Nazarene lost to #20 Clarke (26-7) in first-round play.
 
Westmont and MidAmerica Nazarene both returned to the Rotary Classic this year and, coincidentally, played the same two opponents. The Warriors defeated #8 Shawnee State of Ohio (29-4) by a score of 66-64 and the Pioneers fell to the Bears 80-73. Both teams lost to Campbellsville – Westmont by a score of 70-67 and MidAmerica Nazarene 82-61.
 
"Our program has been in the national tournament enough to know that you can throw all the seeds out the window when you arrive," said Moore. "It is just one game. You focus on that one game. Every team there is capable of beating every other team there."
 
The Pioneers are led in scoring by junior guard Whitney Clampitt (5-9) who averages 15.6 points per game. Junior center Mackenzie Loe (6-1) puts up 11.0 points per game and pulls down a team-high 7.1 rebounds per game.
 
As a team, the Pioneers rank third in the NAIA in blocks, averaging 5.4 rejections per game. MidAmerica Nazarene ranks 12th in opponents' field goal percentage, limiting its adversaries to a 35.8 field goal percentage.
 
The Pioneers average 70.8 points per game while limiting their opponents to 61.6.
 
Tournament play begins with first round games on Wednesday and Thursday, March 18-19. Asked how she felt about being scheduled for a Thursday game, Moore responded, "Every year we have made a deep run in the tournament, we have had the Thursday game.
 
"Most coaches would prefer the Wednesday game and the extra day of rest and a day of prep for the second round. That is where we need to trust our conditioning and our mental toughness through fatigue. That is something our program excels at. You play when they tell you to play and you get ready to go. You take it one game at a time, then prep for the next game."
 
The winner of Thursday's first-round game will advance to Friday's second round contest against the winner between #16 Loyola of Louisiana (21-7) and #17 William Penn of Iowa (26-7). The quarterfinals will be played on Saturday, the semifinals on Monday and the championship game on Tuesday.
 
Fans can watch the action on a pay-per-view basis through the NAIA's Stretch Internet portal at: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/naia.