CARLINVILLE, Ill. - Junior guard Kendahl Adams logged a game-high 22 points to direct the Westminster College Lady Blue Jays to a 76-65 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory over Blackburn College on Wednesday night.
The win was the fourth in a row for Westminster, which improved to 10-7 overall and 5-3 in the SLIAC. Blackburn tumbled to 1-14 on the season and 0-8 in conference play.
The Lady Blue Jays led by eight points on three different occasions in the first quarter, before ending the period with a 15-6 advantage. The Lady Beavers pulled within five points in the second quarter, but Westminster produced a 9-0 run over the final 3 minutes, 41 seconds of the first half and took a 34-20 lead into the break.
Blackburn rallied in the third quarter, trimming its deficit to single digits behind an 11-2 run. Kate Smith's jumper with 2:27 left in the quarter brought the Lady Beavers within 42-38.
The Lady Blue Jays carried a 48-41 edge to the fourth quarter and Adams connected on a 3-pointer with 9:47 left in the game to give Westminster a 10-point advantage. The Lady Blue Jays eventually led by as many as 17 points before closing out the win.
Adams - who on Monday was named SLIAC player of the week for the first time - was one of four players to reach double figures for Westminster, which shot just 35 percent (24-of-68) as a team and weathered 26 turnovers.
Freshman forward Grace Archambault came off the bench to supply 17 points, while freshman guard Makayla Jackson added 15. Sophomore forward Mikalyn Callahan chipped in with 11 points.
Archambault tallied a double-double with a game-high 12 rebounds to power Westminster to an emphatic 63-27 advantage on the boards. The Lady Blue Jays grabbed 28 offensive rebounds as they outscored Blackburn 23-5 on second-chance points.
Smith finished with 18 points to guide the Lady Beavers, who shot only 37 percent (24-of-62) from the field and committed 19 turnovers. Savannah Kruse contributed 12 points.
Westminster remains on the road for a SLIAC clash at Webster University (11-5, 5-3) in St. Louis at 1 p.m. Saturday. The Lady Blue Jays and Lady Gorloks are tied for third place in the SLIAC after Webster's 81-79 loss to Greenville (Illinois) College on Wednesday night.
Ryan Boland can be reached at (573) 826-2422, or on Twitter @FultonSunSports.