By Ron Smith
February 13, 2026
 
(SAN RAFAEL, Calif.) Westmont Women's Basketball (18-6, 14-4 PacWest) won a crucial road game on Saturday after noon, defeating the Penguins of Dominican (18-6, 12-6) by a score of 69-64. A loss to Dominican would have dropped the Warriors into a tie with the Penguins for fifth place in the PacWest. The win kept the Warriors in the hunt as one of four teams within a game of each other at the top of the standings.
 
"It definitely was not a pretty game with the amount we turned the ball over (24 times)," said Westmont's head coach Kirsten Moore. "Credit Dominican's scrappiness. However, we were able to pull it together and go on some nice runs.
 
"I thought our defense, for the most part, was solid as far as taking them out of what they normally do and making them miss shots. Unfortunately, in the first half, we gave up a bunch of o-boards, which is why we went into halftime tied.
 
"In the second half, we finished the possessions the way we normally do and ended up on the boards. That was the difference maker in the game in my opinion. It was good to put together some stretches in the second half to get us the lead and then we were able to hold on down the stretch."
 
Mariah Brown led the way for the Warriors offensively, tallying a season-high 22 points. Bailey Fong added nine points while Lisa Kiefer notched eight points, 15 rebounds, six assists, four steals and two blocks. Noemie Bariteau also produced eight points to the Warrior cause.
 
Asked what helped get Brown open shots, Moore replied, "I don't think Mariah was open. I don't think a lot of people were open because it was really physical. But against the physicality, she was able to attack and get to the rim.
 
"With how aggressive Dominican was and their style of play, it made it so she had to attack the rim and she did a phenomenal job for us. She is so tough and such an incredible leader. The more competitive a game, the more Mariah continues to rise to the occasion. I am really proud of how she handled that today and stepped up."
 
Westmont jumped out to a 17-7 lead in the first quarter. Five different Warriors scored in the first six and one-half minutes, including Kiefer with five and Molly Garnand and Brown with four.
 
After a free throw by the Penguin's Adia Walker made the score 17-8, Kiefer stole the ball and dished off to Bariteau whose layup gave the Warriors an 11-point lead (19-8). Dominican ended the opening frame on a 6-2 run, producing a 21-14 advantage for the Warriors headed into the second quarter.
 
Dominican whittled away at the Warrior lead, coming within two points five times before Julianne Cotterill tipped in a missed shot to tie the game at 32 headed into the intermission.
 
After Kaylyn Buchanon scored on a layup to start the second half, giving Dominican a 34-32 lead, the Warriors reeled off a 9-0 run to go up by seven (41-34). Brown started the run with a layup before Bailey Fong landed a triple. After a free throw by Kiefer, Bariteau also connected from 3-point range.
 
Both teams continued to battle, but the Warriors remained ahead the rest of the quarter. With a bit under four minutes remaining in the penultimate period, Kiefer stole the ball, dribbled down the court, and gave Westmont an 11-point lead (48-37) with a layup.
 
"Lisa was amazing for us today," expressed Moore. "With us in foul trouble in the first half, she had to carry a big load and play every minute of the first half. She led us in a lot of categories – rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. She scored on some great opportunities as well. She was a huge influence on the game in every aspect."
 
The Penguins charged back with a 10-4 run to close out the third quarter, pulling within five points 52-47 at the end of 30 minutes of play.
 
Three minutes into the final frame, Bariteau hit another three to put Westmont up by 12 (61-49). Once again, the Penguins made a run at the Warrior, cutting the deficit to five (69-64) with a minute to play. That, however, would be the final score of the game.
 
As a result of today's victory, Westmont has clinched a berth in the PacWest Tournament that will be conducted in the first week of March at Point Loma. The Warriors, who still have four games remaining, are currently in third place, one-half game behind Vanguard (14-3) who is in second. Westmont is a full game behind Point Loma (15-3). Vanguard and Point Loma have also clinched PacWest Tournament berths.
 
Westmont will remain in the Bay Area over the weekend to take on Menlo on Saturday in Atherton. Tip-off is at 2:00 p.m.