By Jacob Norling
December 4, 2023
 
(HILO, Hi.) Westmont women's basketball left the islands with a winning road trip on Monday night, after bouncing back to defeat Hawaii Hilo 68-58. Westmont is now 2-1 in their first three PacWest games, with Murchison Gym now waiting to welcome them home on Saturday night.
 
"Our players came in determined and focused today," said Westmont head coach Kirsten Moore. "We're dealing with a good amount of injuries, and we had even more tonight. With that though, we've had a ton of players step up.
 
"Tonight, a lot of different people stepped up to make big plays. We had a really great focus on defense, and we always need to keep getting better at that, but it is still a huge step-up from last game."
 
After a frustrating night offensively on Saturday, Westmont was quick to turn over a new leaf on Monday, when Giulia Abraham hit Westmont's first shot of the night from beyond the arc. Westmont led by as many as five in the final minutes of the first quarter, but a last-minute 4-0 run by Hilo made it a one-point contest as the game entered the second (14-13).
 
In the second, Westmont stretched their lead back out a few times. Abraham hit another three part way through the quarter to put Westmont back up 8. Then, after a couple baskets from Hilo, a pair of acrobatic layups from Molly Garnand put Westmont once again up eight (27-19) going into a media timeout (3:49). Westmont at one point went ahead double-digits, but by the end of the half, the Warriors still led by the familiar eight-point margin (33-25).
 
The same trend continued in the third quarter, after a few baskets from Garnand and Sage Kramer put Westmont up a game-high 13 at 50-37 with two minutes remaining. Then, Hilo scored the final five points of the period, sending the contest into the fourth quarter with Westmont still leading by eight at 50-42.
 
In the first ninety seconds of the fourth, Westmont once again began to pull away after a three from Madi Bogan and basket by Isabella Pearson. At that point Westmont led by 13. Once Hilo pulled back within nine (55-46), Moore called timeout with 7:40 remaining.
 
Hilo hung with Westmont for most of the night, but finally, with 4:27 remaining, Pearson knocked down what felt like a dagger 3-pointer to put Westmont up 63-50. With under two minutes remaining Hilo got back within nine once more, only for Abraham to land another back-breaking three to put Westmont up 66-54. Minutes later, Westmont walked off the floor with a 68-58 win, and a 2-1 Hawaii road trip.
 
Individually, Sage Kramer led the Warriors with 20 points on eight of 15 shooting. Behind her, Molly Garnand finished with 13 points and Aleena Cook ended up with 12. Both Kramer and Cook took down six boards, while Kate Goostrey led the team with seven assists.
 
"We hit some shots tonight," said a pleased Moore. "Sage was great, and then both Giulia and Bella both hit some big shots down the stretch. Aleena and Molly were both effective inside for us as well, so it definitely felt more like a well-rounded attack tonight."
 
When asked if she and the team were happy to get home, Moore chuckled and noted, "In the last 27 days, we've been on the road for 15 and only home for 12. It has been a grind with three road trips in the last four weeks, and we can't wait to get back home.
 
"We're going to need everyone behind us when we take on Biola."
 
Moore's team will now head back to Santa Barbara when they'll prepare to host the Biola Eagles on Saturday night in Murchison Gym. Links to tickets and live coverage are available on the Westmont Athletics website.