ST. LOUIS - The Westminster Lady Blue Jays were outscored 46-32 in the second half by the third-ranked Washington Lady Bears in Tuesday night's season-opening loss.
Westminster College was down 37-28 going into halftime, but closed within 39-35 on senior guard Andrea Zalis' 3-pointer with 7 minutes, 50 seconds to play in the third quarter. Washington University, however, took control by responding with a 13-2 run over the next 4-plus minutes.
Natalie Orr converted a three-point play at the 3:27 mark to extend the Lady Bears' advantage to 52-37. Washington carried a 57-44 lead into the fourth quarter and punctuated its victory by outscoring the Lady Blue Jays 26-16 over the last 10 minutes.
"I wasn't sure what to expect tonight," Westminster head coach Tracey Braden said. "We threw the young kids in the fire tonight and they competed and they responded."
Zalis - who was 5-of-11 from 3-point range - delivered 20 points and had eight rebounds to pace the Lady Blue Jays, who shot 43 percent (25-of-58) from the field. Sophomore forward Mirrakohl Johnson added 14 points and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds as Westminster was outrebounded 43-34.
"My main focus going into this game was to play hard," Braden said. "That's a characteristic of who we are and I don't want that to change.
"No matter the competition or the score, we still play hard."
Jenn Dynis - connecting on 10-of-16 shots - put up a game-high 23 points to direct three players in double figures for the Lady Bears (1-0). Orr chipped in with 17 points and Zoe Vernon contributed 12 as Washington shot 46 percent (34-of-74) as a team.
The Lady Blue Jays square off against host Millikin University in the SLIAC/CCIW Challenge at 5 p.m. Friday in Decatur, Illinois. Westminster then faces Elmhurst at 1 p.m. Saturday.