ELSAH, Illinois - The Westminster College Lady Blue Jays used a critical 10-2 run with under 10 minutes remaining to secure their third straight St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory Tuesday night, 63-52 over Principia College.
Westminster went into halftime with a 32-20 advantage, but Principia controlled play early in the second half and pulled within 42-38 on Alexandra Weitman's jumper with 9:28 to go. Sophomore guard Andrea Zalis answered with a conventional three-point play on the next possession to initiate the Lady Blue Jays' pivotal run, and junior point guard Kasey Gatson punctuated it on a jumper with 6:10 left to extend Westminster's lead to 54-40.
Gatson knocked down 6-of-10 shots - hitting 3-of-5 tries from 3-point range - in finishing with 15 points to guide four players in double figures for the Lady Blue Jays (5-4, 4-1). Zalis and junior point guard Mackenzie Haddox provided 11 points apiece and sophomore forward Krista Armontrout contributed 10 as Westminster shot 43 percent (22-of-51) as a team and recorded only 11 turnovers.
Armontrout collected a team-high seven rebounds as the two teams battled to a 30-30 standoff on the boards.
Karina Olsen countered with a game-high 16 points to lead three players in double figures for Principia (4-6, 0-5), which shot 47 percent (22-of-47) from the field but was plagued by 21 turnovers. Kara Johnson chipped in with 15 points and Rachel Perea had 14.
Westminster returns home for a SLIAC contest against Eureka (Illinois) College at 1 p.m. Saturday.