By Ron Smith
December 16, 2023
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) With finals week in the rearview mirror, Westmont Women's Basketball (5-6, 2-3 PacWest) took on the Sea Lions of Point Loma Nazarene (6-4, 2-0) in a Pacific West Conference game at Murchison Gymnasium. Though the Warriors jumped out to a fast start, the Sea Lions rallied late in the second quarter on their way to a 57-41 win.
 
After a layup on the game's initial possession by the Sea Lions' Hannah Golan, the Warriors grabbed the lead with back-to-back 3-point field goals by Madi Bogan and Giulia Abraham. At the end of the first quarter, Westmont claimed a 15-10 advantage.
 
The Warriors held the lead for more than seven minutes into the second quarter, but with 2:17 remaining before the intermission, Tavia Rowell put Point Loma in front 22-21 with a layup. At the half, the Sea Lions led 24-21.
 
The third quarter started off well for the Warriors with Bailey Fong draining a triple as the shot clock expired and Molly Garnand connecting on a fast break layup. A 14-0 run by Point Loma, however, put the Sea Lions ahead by 12 (38-26), and the Warriors got no closer than nine the rest of the way.
 
"I think there were some positives to take away," said Westmont's head coach Kirsten Moore. "Defensively, we held them to their lowest point total of the year. We are just trying to stick with the process of getting better. We are obviously undersized, but we have to find a way to be scrappier on the boards. That really hurt us tonight."
 
The Sea Lions posted a 42-33 rebound advantage in the game.
 
Fong led the Warriors in scoring with 12 points. Garnand added 10 and pulled down a team-high eight rebounds. Sage Kramer notched nine points and recorded seven boards.
 
"I know that I have a group that is staying committed to getting better and that is what we have to do."
 
The Warriors have a quick turnaround, hosting the Broncos of Cal Poly Pomona (5-3) on Tuesday at two o'clock.