By Ron Smith
December 18, 2024
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) Molly Garnand tallied 21 points to help Westmont Women's Basketball (5-5, 2-2) claim a 70-63 PacWest Conference win over Fresno Pacific (6-5, 2-2) on Wednesday at Murchison Gymnasium. Sage Kramer added another 14 points and Baily Fong tallied 12.
 
"Molly has worked so hard," noted Westmont's head coach Kirsten Moore. "She has been so dedicated to improving and being at her best when her team needs it. It was fun to see it come together, today, when she stepped up for us, doing what we see consistently in her workouts. I was really happy to see that come together for her in the game. She was doing it for our team and I am happy for our team that she stepped up when we needed it. She had a phenomenal game for us.
 
"It was a really hard-fought game by both teams," expressed Moore. "In the first game at their place, we were able to open up a large margin. We were expecting a tougher battle today. I don't think they were at their best when we played them in Fresno. They are a team that plays with heart and they are feisty. We knew they were going to come back and show that they are a better team, and sure enough, they did.
 
"Both teams made runs. We had to weather storms multiple times throughout the game. We were able to go on runs of our own. We had some segments where I think we are improving and other segments that we need to learn from."
 
The Warriors found themselves down 6-2 in the early going, courtesy of a couple of triples by Fresno Pacific's Jasmine Heu. The Warriors responded with a three from Kramer, two free throws by Fong and a layup by Kramer to give Westmont a 9-6 advantage.
 
After the two teams traded layups, Olivia Green hit a 3-pointer for Fresno Pacific, tying the game at 11. Kramer scored on another layup before Julie Ramirez sank two free throws, tying the game at 13.
 
What followed was a 10-0 run by Westmont, consisting of threes by Mariah Brown and Kramer and layups by Kramer and Jazmyn Shipp.
 
Fresno answered back with a trey from Aaliyah Seuell and a layup by Green, resulting in a 23-18 lead in favor of the home team headed into the second frame.
 
An old-fashioned 3-point play by Garnand started the scoring in the second quarter, giving Westmont a 26-18 advantage. However, Breanna Hurt made a layup and Lydia Manu knocked down a three to pull the Sunbirds to within three (26-23).
 
Shipp scored on a layup and Fong hit a jumper before Navine Mallon grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on a put-back to complete a 6-0 Warrior run and make the score 32-23.
 
Following three Sunbird free throws, Shipp scored on a layup. However, Fresno Pacific put together a 6-0 run on a jumper by Hurt and four free throws, pulling within two points (34-32). With 40 seconds remaining in the half, Mallon grabbed another offensive rebound and scored on another second-chance bucket.
 
"Navine came off the bench in the second quarter and gave us a really big spark when we were in foul trouble," pointed out Moore. "Jasmyn also gave us good minutes off the bench. Our bench is going to be a huge asset for us this year. We are deeper than we have ever been. If our bench can continue to come in and raise the level of play, I am excited about what we can do to build on it."
 
Before the first half came to an end, Hurt connected on a layup, making the halftime score 36-34.
 
The third quarter started with a layup by Hurt that tied the score at 36. For the rest of the quarter, neither team held more than a six-point lead. With just under four minutes on the clock, Manu stole the ball and scored on a fast break layup. Then at the three-minute mark, Hurt scored again, giving the Sunbirds a 49-46 advantage.
 
An "and-one" play by Garnand tied the game for the Warriors at 49-all before Noemie Bariteau dropped in a pair of free throws to restore the lead to Westmont (51-49). However, Hurt scored again, tying the game at 51 at the end of the third.
 
A layup by Garnand and a jumper by Manu advanced the score to 53-all before Westmont took control with a 9-0 run. Garnand started the run with a jumper, then Lisa Kiefer scored on a layup. Garnand scored again with another jumper then recorded another traditional 3-point play, making the score 62-53 with 4:34 remaining in regulation.
 
The lead proved to be too much for the Sunbirds to overcome. Fresno Pacific came within five points (62-57), but a layup by Fong restored the Warrior lead to seven (64-57). Down the stretch, Fong, Bariteau and Goostrey went six for six from the free throw line to keep the Sunbirds at bay.
 
The Warriors will take a break for Christmas and won't return to action until the first week of January. That's when they will head to Hawai'i for games against Chaminade (Thursday, January 2) and Hawai'i Hilo (Saturday, January 4).