By Ron Smith
February 21, 2024
 
(SAN DIEGO, Calif.) Westmont Women's Basketball (11-14, 7-10 PacWest) played its final road game of the season, taking on the Sea Lions of Point Loma Nazarene (16-10, 12-6) on Wednesday afternoon in San Diego.  Though it was close throughout, the Warriors fell by a score of 70 to 65.
 
Sage Kramer led the Warriors in scoring with 20 points while also collecting nine rebounds. Bailey Fong added 18 points, three assists and four steals. Destiny Okonkwo notched 10 rebounds to lead the Warriors on the boards. Aleena Cook, who scored seven points, contributed nine rebounds to the Warriors' cause.
 
Both teams had trouble scoring in the early going, resulting in a 4-4 score, six minutes into the game. A pair of back-to-back layups by the Sea Lions in a 20-second span, gave Point Loma an 8-4 advantage. However, Westmont scored the final six points of the opening frame on a layup by Kramer, and jumpers by Kristan Yumul and Fong. As a result, Westmont led by two (10-8) at the end of the first quarter.
 
The 6-0 run that started at the end of the first quarter extended to an 11-0 run in the beginning of the second frame with a layup by Kramer, a free throw by Navine Mallon and a jumper by Isabella Pearson. That gave Westmont a 15-8 lead two and one-half minutes into the second quarter.
 
Over the balance of the quarter, however, Point Loma whittled away at Westmont's advantage. The Sea Lions took a 23-22 lead with 2:15 to play before halftime on a 3-point bucket by Tavia Rowell. Sage Kramer sank two free throws to put Westmont up 24-23, but a layup plus an 'and-one' free throw by Rowell put the Sea Lions back on top 26-24.
 
With just over a minute left on the clock Yumul drained a triple, giving Westmont a one-point advantage at 27-26. Just 20 seconds later, Cook scored on a jumper to extend the Warriors' lead to 29-26. The final points of the half, however, were scored by Point Loma's Eiley Tippins on a layup, resulting in a slim 29-28 Westmont margin at the intermission.
 
Westmont went up by four points (34-30) two minutes into the third quarter, but Point Loma went on a 10-0 run to go ahead 40-34 midway through the penultimate period. At the end of the frame, the Sea Lions held a 52-45 lead.
 
Point Loma led by eight points twice in the final frame, but Westmont was able to cut the deficit to three (67-64) when Kramer connected from beyond the arc with 14 seconds remaining in regulation. However, the Sea Lions were the Warriors at bay the rest of the way to claim the win.
 
Westmont will conclude the season with a three-game homestand starting Saturday night when they host the Vulcans of Hawai'i Hilo at 5:30 p.m.