By Ron Smith
December 19, 2023
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) Sage Kramer recorded a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds and Molly Garnand added 12 points, but it wasn't enough for Westmont Women's Basketball (5-7) to ward off a 70-56 loss to Cal Poly Pomona (6-3).
 
"We had some really good spurts tonight that we can build on," said Westmont's head coach Kirsten Moore. "I think there were multiple points in this game when the game could have gotten away from us, but we fought back each time. In the first quarter we scored the first bucket then went on a long scoreless drought, but we came back after the timeout and ended up cutting the lead and finishing the quarter right there."
 
A 13-0 run by the Broncos in the opening was answered by a 9-0 run by the Warriors before the first quarter came to an end, making the score 13-12 at the end of the first 10:00 minutes of play. Kristan Yumul had two triples during the Warriors' response and Molly Garnard hit a layup with time expiring.
 
The second quarter saw the Warriors continue to chase the Broncos, eventually catching them at 18 points apiece with a couple of free throws by Bailey Fong. However, Cal Poly scored the next eight points to keep Westmont at bay. At halftime, the Broncos held a 33-27 advantage.
 
Cal Poly Pomona pulled away in the third quarter, outscoring the Warriors 24-14. A buzzer-beating three by the Broncos' Kalaya Buggs put the visitors up 57-41 headed into the final frame.
 
Westmont responded in the fourth quarter drawing to within 12 points on two occasions. That was due largely, to eight points by Kramer. However, that is as close as the Warriors would get.
 
"In the fourth quarter, Sage made a lot of plays to try and fight back and see what we could do," said Moore. "Her 10 rebounds were big for us.
 
"Molly has been competing hard every day in practice and we are starting to see what that can look like in games as well. I want to see her stick with it.
 
"Kate Goostrey was a leader on the floor for us with seven assists. She helped us handle their pressure.
 
"The inconsistencies are extremely frustrating, but it is something we continue to work on," acknowledged Moore. "Our youth continues to show a lot in some of those moments. However, I do think we are on the right trajectory and we just have to keep fighting to get better.
 
"We are seeing improvement. It's not as fast as any of us would want, but we continue to be playing through injuries and challenges. It will be good for us to have this time to regroup and hopefully get a little bit healthier and then come back after Christmas and try to fight to be better every day."
 
The Warriors will be back in action on Saturday, December 30 when they host Dominican (9-3, 2-2) in a return to PacWest play.