Westminster Hands Griffins Second Loss in a Row

St. Louis- Fontbonne University women's basketball fell this afternoon to the Westminster College Blue Jays. The Griffins fall to 6-13 overall and 4-8 in St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play.

A back and forth paced game saw no decisive leadership on the court until Westminster scored six points in a row to take a 33-25 advantage with just over five minutes left before halftime. The Blue Jays would go into the locker room with a 10-point (45-35) lead.

The Griffins proved they weren't letting go, scoring the first two buckets of the second half to cut their deficit to five points. Westminster missed their first three scoring attempts but connected on their ensuing four, gaining a 56-43 lead around the 15 minute mark. The Griffins scored seven unanswered points, continuing to be a threat for the Blue Jays, pulling within six.

Westminster led 62-54 with 10 minutes to go when Emily Haring came up big for the Griffins. Haring knocked a basket from downtown, backing the crowd behind the Griffin offense. An Olivia Hollander layup put the Griffins within one point of the Blue Jays with 8:18 to go.

Neck and neck down the stretch, Fontbonne took a 74-72 lead with 5 minutes remaining on the game clock. Westminster scored seven straight, regaining a 79-74 advantage. Fontbonne would get within three points, but with time running out, the Griffins were forced to foul. Westminster was four for six at the line to seal the 86-78 victory.

Leigh Ann Lutz sunk five treys before totaling 24 points along with Mackenzie Haddox. Haddox was big for Westminster, shooting 7-8 at the line, 3-4 from the arc and grabbing seven rebounds. Andrea Zalis finished the afternoon with 15 points on 2-3 from three-point range.

For Fontbonne, DeAmbra Pilkinton and Chelsy Gibson each scored 18 points. Gibson connected on seven of nine attempts and grabbed nine rebounds. Pilkinton also recorded three steals. Emily Haring scored 11 points on four of eight attempts, with two buckets on four attempts from the arc. Haring also recorded seven assists and four steals. Chelsey Freymuth finished the game with 14 points and seven rebounds.

Fontbonne travels to Blackburn on Wednesday for a 6pm game start.