JACKSONVILLE, Ill. - Junior guard Reese Arnold connected for a game-high 24 points as the Lady Blue Jays turned back the Lady Blues for their first win of the season Tuesday night.
Westminster College trailed 22-20 after one quarter, but outscored Illinois College 20-17 in the second quarter to go in front 40-39 at halftime. The Lady Blue Jays carried a 59-57 lead into the fourth quarter and took control by outscoring the Lady Blues 26-19 over the final 10 minutes.
Sophomore forward Avylina Powel-Qualo added 15 points for Westminster, which shot just 41% (27-of-66) from the field. Junior guard Abbie Reece was next with 14 points.
Sophomore forward Madison Schaeffer pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds to spark the Lady Blue Jays to a 49-36 advantage on the boards.
"Great road win for these ladies," Westminster head coach Talisha Washington said. "We knew going in that we were going to have to battle to pull out this win. We did that, but most importantly we did that together.
"We had big-time players step up in the right moments and that was key going into the fourth quarter. I'm proud of our performance, but we've got work to do in order to be better than we were tonight."
Krista Bass produced 20 points to pace four players in double figures for Illinois College (2-1), which also shot only 41% (29-of-71) as a team. Junie Zirkelbach provided 14 points, Megan Price contributed 11 and Ashlyn Wightman had 10.
The Lady Blue Jays turn around and play their home opener with a rematch against the Lady Blues at 7:30 tonight.