By Ron Smith
November 22, 2022
(POMONA, Calif.) A late rally by #2 Westmont Women's Basketball (6-0) resulted in a 62-61 exhibition win over the Broncos of NCAA Division II Cal Poly Pomona (3-1). The game served to foreshadow next year's competition when Westmont will begin playing a Division II schedule.
 
"There are a lot of things to continue to learn and a lot of things to celebrate, tonight, too," said Westmont's head coach Kirsten Moore after the game. "That is what the early-season and exhibition games are for.
 
"We were crushed on the boards in the first half and did not come out with the intensity, focus and toughness to get it done there. That really hurt us. We were fortunate to be in a position to be tied (at halftime). We shot the ball pretty well in the first half to keep us in the game despite all the extra possessions we were giving them off the boards."
 
The Warriors held a 16-12 lead at the end of the first quarter, due in large part to Sage Kramer who entered the game early after Kate Goostrey picked up two fouls in the first two minutes. Kramer tallied eight points in the first quarter, six on a pair of 3-point field goals.
 
The lead evaporated in the second quarter, however, with the two teams entering the locker room tied at 30. Westmont was outrebounded 22-10 in the first half but turned that around in the second half to hold a 21-14 rebounding advantage.
 
"I was proud of our effort on the boards in the second half," offered Moore. "We had just 10 total rebounds in the first half and just four o-boards. In the second half we grabbed 21 rebounds and 12 o-boards. Our fight, effort and intensity level stepped up in the second half."
 
While the Broncos benefited from outrebounding the Warriors, the result was offset by Westmont's 16-7 turnover advantage. It was further offset by Westmont's 32-12 advantage in bench points. In addition to a game-high 15 points by Kramer, Isabella Pearson added eight.
 
"One of the strengths of our team has been our bench," noted Moore. "Sage and Bella stepped in and played huge minutes for us, which was really important. Not only did they score and make big buckets, but they went in there and competed with defensive deflections and scrappy plays. They made a lot of good things happen.
 
"In games where we end up with someone in foul trouble, it is huge for us to have such a talented bench. Our bench needs to continue to be ready. Tonight it was those two. Other nights it might be other players."
 
In the third quarter, Cal Poly outscored the Warriors 21-16 to take a 51-46 advantage into the final frame. The Broncos lead continued into the fourth quarter. With the Warriors down 59-51 with four minutes remaining, Kramer hit her third triple of the game to pull Westmont within five (59-54).
 
After a steal by Stefanie Berberabe (10 points, 3 assists, 4 steals) and Sydney Brown's (8 points, 11 rebounds) sixth offensive rebound of the game, Kramer was fouled with 2:49 to play and awarded two free throws. The freshman guard made them both to pull the Warriors to within three points (59-56).
 
After a miss on the Broncos' end of the floor, Pearson dribbled toward the basket then passed back to Brown who hit an 18-foot jumper to make the score 59-58.  
 
With 1:39 remaining in the game, Berberabe completed a 9-0 run by the Warriors with a step-back jumper just inside the arc. That gave Westmont their first lead (60-59) since late in the second quarter.
 
The Broncos recaptured the lead (61-60) on a layup by Donja Payne with 1:19 to go, but it did not last long. On the next possession, Berberabe drove toward the basket and finished a layup to make the score 62-61 with a minute to go, which proved to be the final score.
 
"We took a step forward offensively," assessed Moore. "We made some positive adjustments at halftime, but they were things we had not practiced much. For our team to be able make adjustments in game time and execute them was a really great step.
 
"I was pleased with their fight and for the team to get it done on the defensive end down the stretch. When you find yourself down by that much, you have to play good defense to get yourself back in it. I thought we did a good job turning stops into scores."
 
The Warriors will be back in action tomorrow when they take on La Sierra in Riverside. The game is scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. tip-off.