CARLINVILLE, Ill. – The Westminster Women's Basketball Team won its fifth game in a row on Saturday, with a convincing 77-53 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference road victory over Blackburn College on the strength of a scintillating performance from sophomore guard Kallee Dowler. The Barnesville, Ohio-native torched the nets for 24 points, on 7-of-11 shooting from 3-point range.
With the win the Blue Jays improved to 5-1 on the season; 2-0 in conference play.
"We had a big road win against a really tough, talented and well-coached Blackburn squad," Westminster coach James Arnold said. "Kallee is shooting the ball really well right now."
Westminster jumped out to an early lead and held on for a 19-15 lead at the end of the first quarter. Blackburn would briefly obtain some momentum, but the Blue Jays regained control, outscoring the Beavers 25-19 in the second period to lead by 10 at intermission, 44-34. Westminster shot 47 percent from the field in the first half; 60 percent from beyond the arc. The Blue Jays shot 83 percent from the free-throw line. Blackburn shot 50 (14 of 28) percent from the field; 40 percent (4-10) from 3-point range.
In the second half, Westminster outscored Blackburn 18-13 in the third quarter for a 62-47 advantage but turned it on to close out the game in the fourth quarter, outscoring Blackburn 15-6 to seal the victory.
"It was great to shoot it really well, but it was also nice to have a tremendous defensive effort, especially in the second half," Arnold said.
Westminster forced 17 Blackburn turnovers on the day
The Blue Jays shot 42 percent (26 of 62) from the field for the contest; 43 percent (13 of 30) from 3-point range.
Mirrakohl Johnson added 12 points for Westminster while Rei Imamura, Abbie Reece and Kendahl Adams each chipped in nine.
"It was awesome to see a true team effort where everyone contributed and did some good things," Arnold said.
Westminster returns to Historic Gym on Monday when the Blue Jays face Central Christian Bible College in a non-conference matchup.
