By Ron Smith
January 25, 2024
 
(FRESNO, Calif.) Fresno Pacific (13-5, 7-3 PacWest) made 13 of 28 attempts from beyond the 3-point line as the Sunbirds defeated visiting Westmont Women's Basketball (6-12, 3-8) by a score of 58-48 on Thursday afternoon.
 
A 12-0 run in the fourth quarter allowed the Warriors to pull within six points (54-48) with 1:46 to go, but the Sunbirds held the Warriors scoreless the rest of the way.
 
Sophomore guard Sage Kramer led the Warriors in scoring and in rebounding, putting up 14 points and pulling down 15 boards for her fourth double-double of the year and the sixth of her career. Kramer also collected three steals.
 
Freshman guard Navine Mallon added 10 points and five rebounds to the Warriors' cause while sophomore guard Bailey Fong added eight points and four boards.
 
In the first quarter, Mallon connected on a layup to make the score 8-6 in favor of the Sunbirds with 1:45 remaining. However, Fresno Pacific ended the opening frame on an 8-0 run that included triples by Jasmine Heu and Joleen Corona.
 
The end of the second quarter looked much the same with Aleena Cook connecting on a layup with 1:49 remaining, pulling the Warriors to within seven (27-20). However, a pair of Sunbird 3-pointers by Olivia Garcia and Heu sandwiched a layup by Karmer, resulting in a 33-22 Fresno Pacific advantage at halftime.
 
In the penultimate period, the Sunbirds made five long-distance bombs as they outscored the Warriors 17-12 to take a 50-34 lead into the final frame.
 
Two minutes into the fourth quarter, Fresno Pacific took its largest lead of the game (54-36) when Heu connected on a layup. That, however, is when Westmont's defense stiffened. Over the next six minutes, the Warriors held the Sunbirds scoreless while dropping in 12 points of their own.
 
Fong started the streak with a couple of free throws. Then Kramer scored on a second-chance rebound and  Destiny Okonkwo added a layup. Then, Mallon drained two free throws and scored on a fast break layup after a steal by Madi Bogan. Kramer capped the streak with a jumper to make the score 54-48.
 
Unfortunately, that was the end of Westmont's scoring while Fresno Pacific made four of eight free throw attempts down the stretch to seal the Warriors' fate.
 
Westmont returns home for a non-conference match-up with Bethesda on Monday, January 29. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.