For the majority of two quarters on Tuesday, the Westminster women were locked in a competitive game with Principia at home.
The Blue Jays were able to snag control of the game near the end of the first half and outscore the Panthers 48-20 in the second half to win 80-45. Westminster outrebounded Principia 48-24 and added 26 points off turnovers.
Four Blue Jays scored in double figures, led by Shelby Kurtz’s 15 points and Olivia Hixson’s 11 points with three 3-pointers off the bench. Madison Schaeffer posted her second straight double-digit rebound game, finishing with 10 rebounds to go along with 10 points — her second career double-double and second in as many games after having none in her first 28 career games. Avylina Powell-Qualo added 10 points and recorded a team-high three steals.
Principia (1-8, 0-3 SLIAC) had the lead for most of the first quarter until Hixson hit a 3-pointer to make it 15-14 Westminster (7-8, 3-1 SLIAC) with 30 seconds left. The Panthers added another bucket to escape the first with a 16-15 lead.
Carolina Rojas hit a shot from deep to give Principia a 23-18 lead in the second quarter with seven minutes left before Kurtz broke about a four-minute cold spell with a layup to begin the 6-0 Westminster run. The Blue Jays were down 25-24 with one minute left until halftime, but shot ahead after Powell-Qualo executed the steal and layup. Reese Arnold got the steal on Principia’s next possession to lead to a Corrie Reece 3-pointer.
Westminster was up 29-25 after those turnovers and entered the intermission with a 32-25 lead. The Blue Jays controlled the second half from the glass, starting the third quarter with a block, rebound and layup by Schaeffer.
Powell-Qualo’s steal around the four-minute mark in the third quarter led to a Jodie Bass 3-pointer, making it 48-31, before Hixson hit another seconds later for a 51-34 lead. Westminster led 54-36 after three.
After Principia’s Aaliyah Williams made it 55-39 after a 3-point play, Westminster put the game away with a 16-0 run and had a 71-39 lead with 4:14 left in the game. The Panthers scored only one more field goal in the final seconds after Paige Fowler made a layup.
Westminster is back on the road at 5:30 p.m. today against Greenville (7-5, 1-1 SLIAC) after eliminating the Panthers in the previous the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship Tournament. The Blue Jays won that April 9 game 86-82 in overtime.