Warriors Hang Tough with No. 17 Northwestern
UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine, College of Idaho, The Master’s and now, No. 17 Northwestern. The Westcliff women’s basketball team takes on all comers, and Saturday at the Jordan Lawley Center, they could have pulled off the upset over the Red Raiders before falling, 79-67. The game was a two-bucket contest with a minute to play and had a couple of controversial calls gone the other way, the outcome could have been very different.
by BRANDON PETERSEN
UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine, College of Idaho, The Master's and now, No. 17 Northwestern.
The Westcliff women's basketball team takes on all comers, and Saturday at the Jordan Lawley Center, they could have pulled off the upset over the Red Raiders before falling, 79-67.
The game was a two-bucket contest with a minute to play and had a couple of controversial calls gone the other way, the outcome could have been very different.
"We're playing the toughest nonconference schedule in the (Cal Pac)," Westcliff head coach Kyle Rouse said. "Went back-to-back No. 20 who beat No. 1 in the country and then No. 17 today, and we're making a statement. We could have won this game."
Westcliff raced out to an early lead and finished the first quarter up three.
Bailey Hawkins then caught foul trouble and spent almost the entire second quarter on the bench.
It was at that point Northwestern started to dominate the boards and take control of the contest.
Down 41-36 at the break, Westcliff came out in the second half behind the sharp shooting of Laura Tapia and Trinity Vasquez.
Tapia finished with 18 on 2-of-3 from beyond the arc, while collecting six rebounds, six steals and six assists.
Vasquez, meanwhile, dropped 16 to complement seven dimes and a pair of steals.
Remy Hare shot 5-of-8 to chip in 12, and Hawkins finished with eight in 22 minutes of action.
"As long as we are learning from these big-time games, and learning from these experiences, we're good." Rouse said. "No offense to our league, but this is some tough competition. It's going to put us in a good spot I think."
Northwestern threatened to put the game away in the fourth quarter before Tapia put the Warriors on her shoulders and drained four straight buckets to claw Westcliff within two.
But Alexis Casillas (nine points) was hit with a foul on what looked like a clean block down the stretch and fouled out.
Northwestern salted the win away from there.
"Yeah, a couple of things went the other way, and we got killed on the boards in the second half," Rouse said. "But I really like where we are headed. Our message to the girls is 'Trust the process.' Believe in this group of 15."
As a team, the Warriors (2-4) shot 51.8% from the field, and 25% from three.
Rouse said the Warriors will now take 10 days away from game competition and come together as a group on the practice court.
When next we see the Warriors, they will be suiting up for a Dec. 11 tip against Cal State San Bernardino.
The contest tips off at 1 p.m. at the Jordan Lawley Center.
To contact Brandon Petersen, e-mail brandonpetersen@westcliff.edu.