By Ron Smith
November 14, 2025
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) Five Warriors scored in double figures as Westmont Women's Basketball (1-0) tipped off the season with a 92-54 win over the Red Leafs of Simon Fraser (1-3) out of British Columbia. All 10 Warriors in uniform played significant minutes, scored, and recorded at least one rebound.
 
"We've been focusing on our level of grit this year, and I thought we set the bar high on that tonight," said Westmont's head coach Kirsten Moore. The veteran coach cited how many times her players were on the floor for loose balls and the energy and toughness with which the team played.
 
"Obviously, grit was reflected on the boards and our rebounding differential was a huge part of the game," pointed out Moore.
 
The Warriors tallied 47 rebounds to Simon Fraser's 24. Westmont collected 20 boards on the offensive end, leading to extra possessions.
 
"Everyone was trying to play for the team and not for the individual," noted Moore. "We had a positive assist to turnover ratio, which, honestly, did not happen last year many times, if at all. Those are things we've been trying to work on - making people around us better, being bought into a common vision. I thought all of that happened tonight. It was a great way to start and there is a whole lot to build off of. We know we have to be just as focused and intense tomorrow."
 
Skyler Knight led the Warriors in scoring with 15 points by making five of 10 from beyond the arc.
 
"Skyler is the definition of what it looks like to work hard and be determined towards something," expressed Moore. "She came in last year and was just a sponge to learn. She kept working and took all the instruction and relentlessly went to work this summer. I'm so proud of her. She's ready to contribute and add value out there on the court to her teammates and our team. That definitely showed tonight, not just in her shooting, which is easy for everybody to see, but in her defense. She had an amazing presence on the boards."
 
Molly Garnand tallied 14 points for the Warriors with Mariah Brown adding 11. Noemie Bariteau nearly had a double-double, putting up 10 points, nine rebounds, five steals and three assists. Sage Kramer added another 10 points to the Warrior totals and snatched five rebounds.
 
As a team, Westmont shot 47.0% from the floor (31 of 66), including 41.7% from three-point range (10 of 24). From the charity stripe, the Warriors landed 20 of 21 attempts (95.2%). Bailey Fong was a perfect seven for seven.
 
Perhaps the most impressive stat on the night was Westmont's bench producing 43 points.
 
"I'm proud of our bench and everyone's buying into the team over self," reflected Moore. "Really good things will happen if we keep doing that. Noemie showed her grit and had such a huge impact on the game. Navine Mallon came in and gave us huge minutes and Jazmyn Shipp came in and showed a physicality inside. Then, Annie Gibbons got in there and made stuff happen too."
 
The game was part of the PacWest/GNAC Crossover being held at Murchison Gymnasium on Friday and Saturday. In the second game today, Vanguard (1-0) posted a 65-54 win over the Yellowjackets of Montana State Billings (2-2). On Saturday, Vanguard will take on Simon Fraser at 2:00 p.m. followed by Westmont hosting Montana State Billings at 4:00 p.m.