It came down to free throws in the rivalry matchup between second-ranked Westmont Women’s Basketball and rival Biola. With only a three-point lead with 1:27 left in the game, the Warriors made eight free throws to pull out a 60-52 victory at Murchison Gym.
The Warriors shot at 94.4 percent from the free-throw line (17-18).
The Warriors (22-3, 11-1 GSAC) started off strong when in the first minute of the game they embarked upon an 11-point run for a 14-3 lead. The run began with a three-pointer by junior Aimee Brakken, assisted by junior Cora Chan; junior Aysia Shellmire followed with a layup, assisted by senior Krissy Karr; Karr added a three-pointer, assisted by Shellmire; and sophomore Lauren McCoy finished with a layup and the subsequent free-throw.
The Eagles (13-14, 6-7) answered with a 10-point run to finish out the quarter.
The second quarter consisted of tough defense on both sides and back and forth scoring; the half ended with the Eagles ahead by a score of 25-24.
Westmont went back ahead 39-38 at the end of the third period.
The teams were tied 41-41 until halfway into the fourth quarter when Demoria White of Biola hit a three-pointer. Karr answered with a three-pointer of her own, and that started a critical eight-point run for the Warriors, who opend up a 49-44 lead. Following Karr’s three-pointer were layups by Shellmire and McCoy, with McCoy adding on a free throw.
Karr scored 18 points to lead Westmont, while McCoy and Shellmire each had 12.
“I am super proud of my team’s persistence tonight,” Westmont coach Kirsten Moore said. “Biola played really tough and things weren’t coming easily tonight, especially on the offensive end of the floor. But we stuck with it and made some big plays. McCoy was fighting the flu yet showed incredible toughness and came through with two big plays down the stretch. Krissy hit some huge shots and everyone stepped to the free throw line and knocked down shots with confidence.
“It will be great to have a few days to recover after this one in preparation for our huge game against Masters on Thursday for first place in conference.”