By Ron Smith
January 17, 2026
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) Bailey Fong made four of eight attempts from beyond the arc to help lead Westmont Women's Basketball (10-5, 6-3 PacWest) to a 64-46 home win over the Sunbirds of Fresno Pacific (5-10, 2-8) on Saturday afternoon in Murchison Gymnasium. Fong, who scored 16 points, also recorded four steals and three assists.
 
"Bailey has been playing tough," offered Westmont's veteran head coach Kirsten Moore. "I thought she played super tough at Biola. It was nice to see her get going from the 3-point line tonight.
 
"We have to keep sticking with that on the offensive end," said Moore about her team. "We are getting really good looks and the ball is going to fall eventually. It did for Bailey today.
 
"We have to keep fighting for all the little details that we know are going to put us in a position to be as good as we are capable of being. Honestly, I don't think we are near that yet. I think we are working hard to focus on the details of how we do things and trust that the results will come from that."
 
Noemie Bariteau delivered her best performance of the season with 15 points, six rebounds and two assists for the Warriors.
 
"Noemie did great," said Moore. "She was a real spark off the bench. I think the energy she gave us defensively in the second quarter allowed us to turn our defense into offense. I was proud of her presence out there."
 
Molly Garnand recorded the second double-double of her career, garnering 10 points and 11 rebounds. She also tallied two assists and two blocks. Lisa Kiefer also had 11 rebounds for the Warriors to go with six points, three assists, two blocks and two steals.
 
"Molly has really stepped up and is playing great," pointed out Moore. "She has her rhythm back, which is fun to see. She was out for a long time with injuries. The fact that she is back playing the way she is capable of is going to be a real help for our inside-out game. She was a great presence for us on the boards today."
 
Mariah Brown notched nine points for the Warriors, pulled down six boards, and dished off four assists.
 
"Mariah is our floor general out there as a point guard on the offense," said Moore. "Defensively, her grit and tenacity is an anchor for us."
 
The first, third and fourth quarters were contested closely with Westmont winning each by a narrow margin: 15-14 in the first, 14-13 in the third, and 17-15 in the final frame.
 
The difference was in the second quarter which the Warriors won 18-4. A jumper by Fong to start the period and a triple by Bariteau gave the Warriors a 20-14 advantage. However, the Eagles' Sienna Evans and Nina Wisniewski each recorded a bucket to pull the Warriors within two (20-18) with 4:45 to play before the intermission.
 
With 2:47 showing on the clock, Bariteau initiated a 13-0 Warrior run with an 11-foot jumper from the right side. Then on the next possession, Brown hit a jumper from nine-feet away. The next Warrior score came after Kiefer stole the ball on the dribble and passed it to Bariteau. Bariteau dribbled the length of the floor, then passed it to Garnand under the basket for the easy bunny.
 
Westmont's run continued after Fong stole the ball in the Warrior's defensive end and sent it nearly the length of the court to Bariteau who passed the ball to Kiefer on her left. Kiefer converted the layup to complete the play.
 
The next score by Westmont came after a defensive rebound by Garnand, who quickly passed the ball to Brown. The point guard sent a pass forward to Fong who was breaking for the hoop. Fong gathered it in and, like Bariteau seconds before, passed the ball to Keifer for another layup.
 
The final points of the quarter, and for the run, occurred after Fong intercepted a pass, dribbled into the front court, and then sent it to Bariteau as she raced for the basket. Bariteau's layup dropped through the netting despite being fouled. She also made the resulting free throw to give the Warriors a 33-18 lead at the half.
 
Westmont held on in the second half, leading by as much as 19 points in the third quarter, and never allowing the Sunbirds to get within 10.
 
Next week, the Warriors head to the Aloha State for three PacWest games. On Tuesday, Westmont will take on the Vulcans of Hawai'i Hilo (5-8, 3-5). Then on Thursday, Westmont battles with the Sharks of Hawai'i Pacific (3-11, 2-6). On Saturday, the Warriors take on the Chaminade Silverswords (0-11, 0-7). All three games are available on pay-per-view on PacWest Network TV (https://pacwestnetwork.tv). Links to each broadcast can also be found on the Official Westmont Athletics Website (https://athletics.westmont.edu/coverage)