The NAIA eighth-ranked Westmont women’s basketball team (5-1) is especially thankful for fourth quarter comebacks this Thanksgiving season, as the Warriors recovered from a fourth-quarter deficit for the second straight game on Friday.
Westmont defeated #11 Shawnee State (Ohio), 66-64, at the Rotary Classic in Jackson, Tennessee, to pick up its second win against a ranked opponent already this season.
“We had another phenomenal comeback against one of the best teams in the country,” said coach Kirsten Moore. “Just a really gutsy effort from my team again and they never stopped until the final buzzer.”
This fourth quarter comeback comes after Westmont overcame a 13-point deficit entering the final period last Saturday against Antelope Valley, a game the Warriors ultimately won in double overtime.
Shawnee State outscored the Warriors 18-16 in the third quarter to take an eight-point lead into the fourth.
But Westmont’s offense, which scored more points in each successive quarter, exploded for 24 points in the fourth and limited Shawnee State to 14.
Westmont had four players score in double figures, led by Kaitlin Larson’s 16 points. The other players to reach double digits in points were Iyree Jarrett (13), Lauren Tsuneishi (11), and Gabriella Stoll (11).
Stefanie Berberabe just missed out on double digits with nine points, but led the team with five assists. Maud Ranger led the Warriors with her nine rebounds, just falling short of her third consecutive game with double-digit rebounds.
“Iyree Jarrett was huge down the stretch for us,” said Moore. “She got to the rim a couple times, then got fouled with eight seconds left and made both free throws to seal it. She was really good.
“Lauren Tsuneishi I thought just leadership wise and stability wise, throughout the whole game really gave us some momentum when we needed it, especially in the second quarter. She hit some threes that were really important in a big run we made in the second half to make our comeback.”
The Warriors will get another shot at beating a ranked opponent tomorrow at noon CST (10 a.m. PST) against No. 2 Campbellsville (Ky.).