Warriors Battle Back, Can’t Hang On

by BRANDON PETERSEN

The Westcliff women's basketball team faced another top-notch opponent in Bellevue University (Nebraska) Thursday at the Jordan Lawley Center, and after fighting back from a double-digit deficit to take a second-half lead, it looked like the Warriors would pull off the upset.

But the Bruins hit some big shots down the stretch and couple of buckets didn't fall for the Warriors, and that was all she wrote in a 59-49 loss.

"Holding Bellevue to only 59 points was definitely a victory, we knew our defense was going to have to step up in order to have a chance to win this game," Westcliff head coach Kyle Rouse said. "The areas that hurt were in the first half where we dug ourselves to a 10-point deficit at halftime. This was caused by too many second shots and our inability to score, we just couldn't make a shot, unfortunately."

The Warriors clamped down on the defensive end in the second half, holding Bellevue scoreless on eight straight possessions.

That allowed the Warriors to take a one-point lead.

"We had two possessions to go up three or four points, but we just couldn't extend our lead," Rouse said. "Credit to Bellevue for executing down the stretch and hitting some big shots."

Regardless of the outcome, the Warriors once again proved up to the task, making Bellevue earn a close win that opened up in the final minutes.

Trinity Vasquez was magnificent, scoring a game-high 21 points on 9-of-17 shooting include 1-of-2 from range.

Bailey Hawkins was outstanding as well, finishing with 12 points and nine rebounds.

Laura Tapia set the tone from the one, turning in 11 points and four steals.

Westcliff will lace them up again on Saturday for a 3 p.m. tip-off with Dordt university at Jordan Lawley Center.

To contact Brandon Petersen, e-mail brandonpetersen@westcliff.edu.