Westmont Women’s Basketball (15-5, 11-3 PacWest) welcomed back a player after a long injury and celebrated by winning their sixth game in a row, defeating Hawai’i Hilo (5-14, 3-11) by a score of 61-43.
Over the course of those six victories, the Warriors have averaged 74.0 points per game while limiting their opponents to an average of 42.8.
“Obviously, we have been able to build momentum,” said Westmont’s head coach Kirsten Moore. “I’m excited not just for the wins, but for how we are winning them. Our players are focused on the right things – the things that it is going to take to have a good finish to this year. We want to keep focusing on one game at a time.”
Moore credits a lot of the team’s recent success to the play of her bench.
“I think we are as deep as any team, which is a big advantage for us,” assessed Moore. “Our bench had a phenomenal game today with 37 points and 23 rebounds.”
Sage Kramer (eight points, five rebounds) started the scoring for the Warriors when she drained a triple from the left wing. Tavina Harris (15 points, six rebounds) answered for Hilo when she drove the lane for a layup.
The Vulcans tied the game at three on a free throw by Kaile Cruz (14 points, three rebounds) before Westmont’s Molly Garnand (11 points, 11 rebounds) rolled in a jumper from the free throw line to put the Warriors up 5-3.
Kramer added to Westmont’s lead with a jumper under the basket before Mariah Brown (10 points, four assists) knocked down a three from the left corner. That made the score 10-3 in favor of the Warriors before the first media timeout.
After Harris sank a Vulcan free throw, Noemie Bariteau (19 points, five rebounds) dropped in another 3-point field goal. Then Kramer fed Lisa Kiefer (eight points, 10 rebounds, four assists), who scored on a turn-around jumper, making it 15-4.
Hilo responded with buckets by Harris, Keirstyn Agonias (six points, two steals) and Harris again to draw within five. However, Bariteau scored three points the old-fashioned way, putting the Warriors back up by eight (18-10).
Before the quarter ended, Cruz dropped in two free throws, but Bariteau drove the length of the court for a buzzer-beating layup. That gave Westmont a 20-12 lead after the first quarter of play.
The second-quarter scoring started with a turn-around jumper in the lane by Garnand that was followed with an and-one layup by Cruz, resulting in a 22-15 score.
Then Bariteau’s three from the top of the key bounced off the back rim, straight up in the air, and down through the net to put the Warriors up 25-15. Next, Bariteau fed Navine Mallon (two points, 6 rebounds) under the basket who scored on a bunny to make it a 27-15 game.
Garnand expanded the Warrior margin with a triple from the right wing. Harris responded with a layup before Bariteau was fouled and drained both free throws to put Westmont on top 32-17.
Harris scored again on a turn-around jumper, before Bailey Fong (five points, five rebounds, three assists) nailed a 3-point shot from the left corner to make the score 35-19.
Kiefer was the next to score on a layup after collecting a pass from Bariteau. After Agonias completed a layup, Kramer added a free throw to the Warrior total. Agonias then dropped in two free throws to make it a 38-23 game.
Annie Gibbons (eight points, seven rebounds) received a pass from Kiefer who was at the top of the key and scored on a turn-around jumper. Then, Bariteau drained another three from slightly left of the top of the key to finish up the second-quarter scoring and give Westmont a 43-23 lead at the half.
The third quarter started with a layup by Fong, assisted by Brown. Kramer added two more on a jumper in the lane before Cruz made a layup, resulting in a 47-25 score. Then Brown fed Kiefer under the basket for a short jumper.
A pair of free throws by Cruz was followed by a layup by Kacie Febo-Santiago (six points), cutting into Westmont’s advantage to make it 49-29. Then, Brown connected on a triple from the right wing. Febo-Santiago drove the baseline for a layup before Kiefer fired inside to Garnand who turned around and scored, making it 54-31.
Garnand drove the lane for a layup from the right side before Cruz was awarded two free throws and made both. Bariteau was then fouled on a 3-point attempt just before the shot clock expired. She sank them all to extend the score to 59-33.
With a minute remaining in the quarter, Kiefer scored on a tip-in before Febo-Santiago hit a short jumper on the other end. That resulted in a 61-35 score at the end of the penultimate period.
The start of the final frame practically came down to a two-person show. Gibbons collected her own offensive board, then put the ball through the hoop. A bunny under the basket by Harris, was followed by Gibbons with a hook shot.
Harris scored again underneath before Gibbons collected another offensive board and scored on the put-back to make the score 67-39.
“Harris had a great game and was playing with a big presence inside,” noted Moore. “It was a great opportunity for Annie to do the same for us, and she was great. It was a fun battle to watch.”
Hilo’s Mindy Kawaha (two points, two rebounds) scored next on a free throw before going to the line a second time and making another. The stoppage in play allowed Madi Bogan, a junior captain, to enter the game for the first time in nearly 23 months.
Her last outing was in the final game of the 2023-24 season. Since then, she has battled injury. She took the floor tonight to the applause and cheers of both her teammates and the Warrior faithful.
“This year, our theme is ‘grit and gratitude’,” expressed Moore. “Tonight was an example of someone who has chosen in the midst of a lot of really hard circumstances over the last two years to maintain passion and perseverance towards being able to be back out there with her teammates on the court.”
Brown scored on a shot from the elbow before Bogan attempted a triple that rattled in, then out. Fouled on her next shot – a layup in the lane – Bogan dropped in both free throws to give Westmont a 71-41 lead.
Brown scored again on a pull-up jumper before Cruz delivered a layup. Then, Bogan landed a three from the top of the key, making the score 76-43.
The crowd went wild.
After a steal by Bogan, Skyler Knight (three points, three rebounds) drove the length of the floor and scored on an add-one layup to account for the final score of 79-43.
The Warrior bench stormed out on the court to rejoice with Bogan on her return. She ended the game with five points, two rebounds and a steal in six minutes of play.
“After two years of not being able to play, Madi went out there tonight and played with joy and she contributed. Her teammates celebrated her. There are a lot of days in those years where there aren’t fans in the stands and no one sees and you don’t get the reward. It was great, today, to see that process pay off for her.
“She is going to have to continue her comeback, but it was fun to see her on the court and to see what she means to this team and how excited they were for her to have the opportunity to put on a uniform with them and play a game that she has loved for so many years.
“One of the main things that has enabled her to get to this point is a choice to stay grateful in this journey. I think she is so grateful to be a part of a program that cares about the values we do, to be part of a community that has loved her through it, and to be grateful to God for the opportunities she has. That gratitude has helped her have the grit that it has taken to get back from a really hard road she has had over the last two years.”
Over the course of the game, the Warriors outrebounded the Vulcans by a margin of 30 (54-24).
“We have focused on rebounding and talked about how every single rebound is somebody’s extra possession,” explained Moore. “The games that really matter probably are going to come down to one possession. So, making a habit of getting as many extra possessions as possible has been a part of what we talk about on a daily basis. It isn’t just our bigs that are getting the boards. Our guards are great rebounders too.”
In other PacWest action, Point Loma (15-5, 11-3) dropped a home game to Fresno Pacific (7-12, 4-10) and fell out of first place into a second place tie with Westmont. Azusa Pacific (14-5, 10-2) took over the top spot with a 82-80 win over Dominican (15-5, 9-5).
Westmont has little time to recover before hosting Jessup (5-15, 3-11) on Monday night in Murchison Gymnasium. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
“We haven’t played Jessup in a long time and the last time we played them, they beat us,” recalled Moore. “That is our next game and our next focus. We also know that after this homestand, we have a lot of hard games on the road to play.
“The peak of the season is coming up. We are just trying to keep building and keep improving so that we are playing at our best when our best is needed. I am proud of the progress we have made so far.”