LOUISVILLE - Westminster women's basketball tallied a 65-56 conference win over Spalding.
The Blue Jays improve to 5-3 overall and 2-1 in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with the win.
"Winning league games on the road is so tough, so I'm super excited that we found a way to get it done," said Westminster Head Coach James Arnold. "We had a couple really great workouts and a great film session last night, and we did an exceptional job of executing in the first half."
Westminster jumped out to a quick 9-2 lead after two three-pointers from Kendahl Adams. An 8-0 run later in the quarter started by another three-pointer from Adams marked Westminster's first double-digit lead of the game, finishing the first period with the Blue Jays on top 23-11.
The Westminster offense slowed in the second quarter, but the defense prevented the Golden Eagles from scoring until the 3:19 mark of the second quarter. The Blue Jays went on an 8-0 run during their strong defensive run, including four more points from Adams.
Spalding managed to go on a 10-3 run over the final minutes, and Westminster went into the half with a 36-21 lead.
Both teams came out of the locker rooms slow, each scoring just 11 points in the third quarter and Westminster holding on to the double-digit 15 point lead.
The Blue Jays opened the fourth quarter with a jumper from Mikalyn Callahan and a layup from Mirrakohl Johnson to open up their biggest lead of the game at 51-32 with 8:27 remaining. The Golden Eagles went on a 15-4 run in the next seven minutes to cut the lead to single digits for the first time since the first half. Kelsey Ray hit six freethrows in the final minute to keep Westminster's lead and end the game with a final score of 65-56.
Adams led all scorers with 19 points, including 12 rebounds. Johnson added 15 points and six rebounds.
"As a team, we are sitll a work in progress and there are signs of that, but I do like the direction we are heading," said Arnold. "As we continue to grow together, the sky is the limit for these ladies."
Westminster stays on the road to travel to Coe Sunday, December 17.
