Third-ranked Westmont Women’s Basketball (21-3, 14-2) celebrated Senior Night with a 102-41 win over Life Pacific (1-22, 0-16) on Saturday night in Murchison Gymnasium. With the win, and a 71-62 loss by #6 The Master’s (24-3, 13-3) to Vanguard (10-11, 6-10), the Warriors have taken sole possession of first place atop the Golden State Athletic Conference standings.

With two games remaining, Westmont has a one-game lead over Hope International (24-3, 13-3) and The Master’s who are tied for second. The Warriors and Mustangs will both finish out the season on the road next week with both teams facing Menlo (15-9, 10-6) and William Jessup (14-14, 9-7).  Hope International will host Life Pacific and then travel to Vanguard in its final two games.

In tonight’s game, six Warriors scored in double figures led by Gabriella Stoll with 21 points in 21 minutes of play. Stoll, who made four of seven from beyond the arc, also tallied five rebounds and two blocks. Stefanie Berberabe added 13 points, five rebounds, six assists and four steals.

Aleena Cook notched her first collegiate double-double with 12 points and 11 boards despite playing just 13 minutes. Sydney Brown recorded 12 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Also posting 12 points was Laila Saenz who went four of eight from downtown. Saenz also pulled down six rebounds, matching her career high.

The sixth Warriors to achieve double-digits was Kaitlin Larson who scored 11 points and collected eight rebounds.

Westmont jumped out to a 10-1 lead on two buckets by Larson and two threes by Stoll. At the end of the first quarter, Westmont led 18-10. The Warriors scored the first 12 points of the second frame on a pair of treys by Saenz, two baskets by Berberabe and another by Cook. By halftime Westmont held a 52-21 advantage.

In the second half, the Warriors continued to extend their advantage, leading 77-28 at the end of the third and posting a 61-point victory at the end of the game.

Before the game began, the Warriors honored the senior class of 2022 for their remarkable contributions to women’s basketball. Berberabe, Brown, Iyree Jarrett, Larson and Stoll all started together in the fall of 2018. Since then, they have won the 2019-20 GSAC Regular Season Championship, the 2020-21 GSAC West Regular Season Championship, two GSAC Tournament Championships (2018-19 and 2019-20) and the 2021 NAIA National Championship. As a whole, they are arguably the most accomplished class in Westmont Women’s Basketball history.

However, they are not done yet. They are on the brink of claiming the 2021-22 GSAC Regular Season Championship and will have an opportunity to compete for another GSAC Tournament Championship in the final week of February. Then, beginning with an NAIA Opening Round Tournament on March 11 and 12, which the Warriors hope to host, Westmont expects to start its quest for back-to-back national titles.