Freshman guard Cora Chan led the Warriors in scoring with 16 points off the bench as #11 Westmont Women’s Basketball (20-8) advanced to the semifinals of the Golden State Athletic Conference Tournament with a 70-56 win over Concordia (12-15, 5-10). The Warriors will take on #7 The Master’s at 7:00 p.m. in Santa Clarita on Friday.

“It was an incredibly physical basketball game,” noted Westmont head coach Kirsten Moore. “We had times were the style of play took us out of what we were used to doing. But I was proud of the fact that we were able to regroup and stay composed when there were a lot of fouls in this game. We were able to get to the free throw line and get points on the board that way.”

Though the fans cried for more throughout the game, a total of 50 fouls were called – 30 on the visitors and 20 on the home team. The Warriors got to the free throw line 43 times and made 32 of their attempts accounting for 45.7 percent of their total score. Concordia made six of 13 attempts from the charity stripe.

[more photos]

By Jordan Wyatt:

This afternoon, the Golden State Athletic Conference announced that Westmont’s C.J. Miller has been named to the 2013-14 GSAC Men’s Basketball All-Conference Team presented by Under Armour. This is his second career appearance on the list – 2011-12.

Miller, a 6-7 senior forward, currently ranks third in the conference in scoring, averaging 18.2 points per GSAC contest. Behind his prolific scoring numbers resides a 52.6 percent field goal percentage, along with a 39.6 percent mark from beyond the three-point arc. Within the conference, these averages place fourth and eighth respectively.

The native of La Verne is also a force on the glass, ranking third in the GSAC in rebounding with 8.9 boards per game. A large portion of these have come on the offensive end, where Miller is averaging 3.1 per contest – second overall.

Westmont Women’s Basketball will host the Eagles of Concordia in the first round of the Golden State Athletic Conference Tournament on Wednesday, March 5.

The first 100 Westmont Students will be given free ticket, courtesy of the Office of the President.

The first 25 Westmont faculty and staff will receive a free ticket, courtesy of Westmont Athletics..

Ticket Prices:
   General Admission: $10.00 (including faculty and staff)
   GSAC Students: $5.00
   High School Students and Under: $5.00

Come on out and support your Warriors!

Westmont’s Esther Lee and Kelsie Sampson have been named to the 2013-14 GSAC Women’s Basketball All-Conference Team presented by Under Armour, as announced today by the Golden State Athletic Conference office.

“It is great to have both of these ladies recognized and it is certainly well deserved that they are both all-conference,” said Westmont head coach Kirsten Moore.

Lee, a 5-4 junior guard, ranks eighth in the GSAC in scoring, averaging 15.1 points in conference games. A sharpshooter from beyond the arc, Lee leads the GSAC in both three-point field goals made at 3.3 per game and ranks sixth in three-point field goal percentage at 40.4 percent (46 of 114).

In the Warrior record books, Lee’s 12.6 career points per game ranks second all time.

Westmont Women’s Basketball (19-8, 10-4 GSAC) concluded the 2013-14 Golden State Athletic Conference regular season on Saturday night with a 67-42 victory over Biola (12-18, 7-7). All ten Warrior players scored in the home contest, led by Kelsie Sampson with 18 points and Esther Lee with 15.

Biola scored the first four points on layups by Adijat Adams (16 points, 11 rebounds) and Chelsea Hill (six points, 10 rebounds), but the #11 Warriors responded with an 11-0 run and never trailed again. By halftime, the Warriors were up 31-20.

In the second half, Westmont shot 52.2 percent from the field and scored 11 of the first 13 points to take a 42-22 lead with 13:44 to play. The Warriors led by no less than 17 points the rest of the night.

[box score] [more photos]

By Jordan Wyatt:

Torrential rains did not discourage fans from sardining themselves into a “pinked-out,” sold-out, Murchison Gymnasium Saturday evening to witness Westmont Men’s Basketball’s Golden State Athletic Conference regular-season finale against longtime rival #25 Biola.

Senior honorees Mantas Drungys, Marcus Farrand, Brendan Hill, C.J. Miller, and Jason Ritchey culminated their Kammerer Court careers in victorious fashion, as the Warriors (17-11, 6-8 GSAC) notched a 65-60 Play 4Kay “Beat Cancer, Beat Biola,” senior night triumph over the Eagles (16-14, 6-8).

“A great senior night was aided by a big response from our crowd,” remarked Westmont head coach John Moore. “Sometimes the crowd gives you an extra 10 to 15 points, so we owe a big thank you to all of the fans who came to support us tonight.”

[Men's GSAC Tournament Schedule] [Box Score] [More Photos]

By Jordan Wyatt:

Westmont Women’s Tennis, ranked at #12 in the NAIA, traveled south Wednesday to take on the Cougars of former Golden State Athletic Conference rival #16 (NCAA Division II) Azusa Pacific (7-1).

Even though the Warriors (5-4, 4-0 GSAC) ended up dropping the match 8-1, the contest was much more competitive than the final results indicate. Additionally, the event lasted four hours before all racquets were laid to rest.

The Cougars swept doubles, but the sisters Stratman – sophomore Lauren and freshman Kate – held an early advantage in the number one slot before falling 8-4. Sophomores Jessica Cedillo and Haley Strandness also lost a tight match, succumbing 8-5 at number two doubles.

[Results]

On Saturday night, Westmont Men’s and Women’s Basketball will host rival Biola in the final game of the regular season. The game will also serve as Westmont’s Play 4Kay night in which proceeds raised from a number of activities will go to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund to help support cancer research. Kay Yow was the head coach at North Carolina who died of cancer in 2009.

Kenon Neal, a member of the Westmont family, will be honored for her fight against cancer during halftime of the women’s game. Neal will be introduced by Sandi White of Westmont who is recovering from her own battle with cancer.

During halftime of the men’s game, former Los Angeles Laker and Oregon State basketball player and coach Jay Carty will speak to the crowd. Carty is also a cancer survivor.

Fans are encouraged to help “Pink Out” the gym by wearing pink to the games on Saturday. The women’s game begins at 5:30 and the men’s at 7:30. A silent auction of customized player’s shooting shirts (men’s and women’s) will be held during each game and fans will also have the opportunity to purchase limited edition “Love Westmont” T-shirts. After the game, a free ice cream social will be held in the gym with participants encouraged to donate at least one dollar.