Even with the loss, the Blue Jays remain in 4th place in the SLIAC this season, falling to 10-9 (5-5).
After the tough loss against an elite team, Coach James Arnold said he was "really pleased with our execution of the game plan. We showed some tremendous mental toughness and we just weren't able to make enough shots.
Greenville came out firing in the first quarter, beginning the game on a 13-1 run. Wesley Woodard was the Panthers' hottest shooter and the quarter's highest scorer, totaling 8 points. The Blue Jays' Grace Archambault wasn't too far behind with 6 points of her own, tallying the majority of the Blue Jays' offense early on as they trailed 21-7 after the first.
A different offensive weapon emerged for the Blue Jays in the second quarter. Freshman guard Makayla Jackson led all scorers in the second frame with 12 points, going 4-6 from the field and a perfect 3-3 from the line. Her efforts helped cut the Greenville lead at the half to just 8 points, with the Panthers up 37-29.
After the break, the balanced scoring continued. Kendahl Adams scored 7 of her 22 points on the day in the third quarter. But the Panthers, led by Woodard once again, were just too resilient on the offensive side, outscoring the Blue Jays 21-14 to take a 15 point lead into the final quarter.
The Blue Jays didn't go down without a fight, however. A three-pointer from Adams with 00:48 left on the clock cut the lead to 7, and Kelsey Ray followed it up with a steal on the next Panther possession, giving the Blue Jays a chance. The Panthers' lead and Woodard's 22 points were too big to overcome in the end, though.
Both Adams and Archambault tallied double-doubles on the day, Adams bringing down 11 rebounds with her 22 points and Archambault tallying 12 points and 17 rebounds. Jackson finished the day with a career-high 17 points and just 3 rebounds shy of her third double-double of the season.
"It would be really easy to get discouraged by us having so many near misses, " said Arnold. "But at the end of the day, that is truly part of our growth."
Westminster continues the home-stand this Saturday when Spalding comes to Fulton at 1:00p.m. in a crucial SLIAC matchup.