By Ron Smith
January 16, 2021
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) Westmont Women's Basketball finally hosted its home opener, taking on an old nemesis in the Cougars of Azusa Pacific. The Warriors, ranked number two in the NAIA, defeated the Cougars by a score of 66-62 to improve to 1-1 on the year.
 
"Anytime you can actually get a game in this season is a minor miracle," quipped Westmont head coach Kirsten Moore. "We are grateful for the opportunities to have played and to have hosted a home game."
 
Azusa Pacific, a NCAA Division II team that is coached by Westmont alumnus T.J. Hardeman, played the game as an exhibition, but it was a countable game for the Warriors.
 
It was a seesaw game with the Warriors falling behind 7-0 in the first two minutes. Over the next five minutes, however, Westmont outscored Azusa Pacific 14-7. Senior guard Lauren Tsuneishi dropped in three 3-point buckets and junior guard Krissy Miyahara added another before a layup by junior guard Iyree Jarrett tied the game at 14.
 
"This was an exciting day for Lauren as our four-year senior," expressed Moore. "I have been wanting her to play again in Murchison Gym. It happened today and she shot the ball well. When a team chooses to stay in a zone (defense), that obviously opens up a lot of opportunities for her.
 
"We needed every one of those shots today. Her leadership has been key to this program for a long time. I'm happy that she could get out there today, play on her home court, shoot the ball well and help us get a win."
 
Tsuneishi led the team with 21 points scored on seven 3-pointers. She also produced two steals, two rebounds and an assist.
 
With a minute and one-half to play in quarter number one, the Warriors took their first lead (16-14) on a layup by freshman forward Destiny Okonkwo.
 
"I think we got a lot of important contributions off the bench," asserted Moore. "Krissy Miyahara gave us huge minutes, especially in the first half. Destiny's defense and presence inside was important to us. She had seven offensive rebounds today. She plays really hard, she's physical and has the ability to make things happen. I was proud of her for being ready to go and come out and giving us important minutes off the bench."
 
Okonkwo tallied eight points and nine rebounds for the Warriors while Miyahara added six points and two boards.
 
A pair of free throws by Okonkwo gave Westmont an 18-14 lead before Azusa Pacific's Laura Pranger (18 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks) hit a jumper just before the end of the first quarter to pull the Cougars to within two.
 
Stefanie Berberabe led the Warriors with six points in the second quarter as Westmont outscored Azusa Pacific 18-8 to take a 36-24 lead into the halftime locker room. She finished the game with 14 points, eight rebounds, five assists and five steals.
 
"I run out of adjectives to try and describe Stef, and I think you do too, trying to write stories about her," said Moore to this writer. "There is this will in her that is unbelievable. She is so clutch. We track these things called, 'grit goals', that don't show up on a stat sheet. Things like deflections, loose ball drives, taking charges, offensive rebounds and steals. She led us in grit goals today."
 
The third quarter was not pretty for the Warriors whose 12-point lead turned into a five-point deficit. Westmont, who went one for 24 from the field, was outscored 21-4.
 
"It has been such an abnormal preparation process this year and there were definitely spurts where we were rustier than I have wanted in certain areas," acknowledged Moore. "We didn't start the game well and the third quarter was a huge struggle. However, there were spurts where we looked really sharp, were getting the looks we wanted and were defending the way we are capable of defending.
 
"We couldn't make a shot in the third quarter, couldn't get a stop, and couldn't do anything right on either end of the floor. The one thing we were doing that quarter was rebounding, but there were a lot of rebounds available to get with how many shots we missed. I don't know that we have ever seen four percent shooting in a quarter by one of our teams, especially with as good a shooting team as we have.
 
"I think Lauren's was the only shot we made in the third quarter and it was from about 10 feet from beyond the 3-point line."
 
Down 45-40 going into the final frame, the Warriors needed to rally. A layup by junior forward Sydney Brown (4 points, 3 rebounds) was followed by a 3-pointer by Azusa's Kayla Shaw (21 points, 3 assists). Molly Whitmore (13 points, 8 rebounds) then gave the Cougars their biggest lead of the game when she scored on a layup to turn the score to 50-42 with 8:15 remaining on the clock.
 
During the next minute and one-half of play, Westmont tied the game on back-to-back threes by Tsuneishi and a layup by junior post Kaitlin Larson (5 points, 13 rebounds). Just 30 seconds later, Westmont went up 52-50 on a jumper in the paint by Brown.
 
After Pranger tied the game at 52 with a pair of free throws, Jarrett (who recorded eight points, nine assists, four rebounds and three steals) drained her only three of the game.
 
After Larson scored on a free throw to make it 56-52 with four minutes to play, Pranger cut the margin to one with another three.
 
At three minutes left in regulation Berberabe scored on a jumper in the paint. After Whitmore converted an old-fashioned 3-point play to tie the game at 58, Berberabe scored the next six points on a jumper and two layups to put the Warriors ahead 64-58 with 1:21 to play.
 
"A lot of the looks we got Stef late in the game were from an adjustment that I drew up in a timeout," said Moore. "The team was able to execute and get her the ball. She had back-to-back-to-back buckets, huge boards, defensive presence and deflections."
 
The Cougars cut the deficit to two points with a jumper by Whitmore and a layup by Kelly Heimburger making the score 64-62 with 21 seconds left. Surprisingly, the Cougars let 17 seconds run off the clock before finally fouling Jarrett with 4.1 left. Jarrett drained both free throws, giving the Warriors a four-point advantage (66-62).
 
"Iyree is such a dynamic offensive player," assessed Moore. "She was struggling to find the bottom of the net, but she was still creating so much and her defense was hounding. She didn't let their point guards get comfortable. She stepped up in the fourth quarter with that big three then she hit both free throws at the end to clinch it. She showed poise and maturity.
 
"For us to beat a good team with some of the offensive struggles we had in the third quarter is a good sign. Our fight and toughness to win down the stretch with this group is phenomenal. That is what you saw so many times last year.
 
"To come back and have the fourth quarter we had where we shot the ball extremely well, we executed extremely well and we got stops defensively when we needed to, that is where the experience kicked in. I am proud of the grit this team continues to show that they have within them."
 
Westmont's next scheduled game is on Tuesday, January 26 against the Red Hawks of Simpson (0-1). The game is a make-up of what was to be Westmont's home opener on December 4, but had to be rescheduled due to COVID-19 exposure by the Simpson team.
 
No spectators will be admitted to the game due to the pandemic. Fans can, however, view the Westmont Sports Network live broadcast online at https://athletics.westmont.edu/video.