SALT LAKE CITY – The Westminster women's basketball team made 14 threes and got 27 points from
Aubrie Vale as they pulled the upset of No. 3 Colorado State – Pueblo, 85-81, and handed the visitors their first loss of the season on Friday night in the Behnken Field House.
"Pueblo is an amazing team," Westminster head coach
Shelley Jarrard said after the win. "It took a big shooting night from three for our team to get them. We also did a much better job of taking care of the ball."
It wasn't going well for Westminster (9-13, 7-11 RMAC) early as they were down 18-10 after one quarter. CSU-Pueblo (24-1, 18-1 RMAC) capped a 10-0 on the first possession of the second quarter and hit its largest lead of the game at 21-10.
The Griffins would slowly chip away at the deficit throughout the second quarter and when
Sydnee Taylor hit a jumper in the lane as time expired in the first half, they were behind just 37-33. They would take their first lead of the game when
Sicilee Williams connected on a corner three with 4:35 in the third quarter.
The teams traded runs into the fourth quarter and the Griffins were leading 62-61 with 7:59 remaining in the game. Vale would connect on a pair of 3-pointers in the next three minutes during a 15-5 run for the Griffins that opened a 77-66 advantage. Vale then capped the win with a three in the final minute to make it 84-81.
Vale's 27 points are the most by a Griffin in a game this season and it's the second time this year she has scored at least 20 points in a game. She made 9 of 17 shots and was one shy of the school record with seven makes from beyond the arc. She also contributed six rebounds, four steals, and three assists.
"Aubrie was outstanding on both ends of the floor," Jarrard added of her senior guard. ""She always plays her heart out and tonight it led to big plays for our team."
After the slow start, Westminster finished the game shooting 42.6 percent from the field with those season-high 14 threes coming on 51.9 percent. They connected on 66.7 percent from the field in the fourth quarter, including 5 of 8 from deep.
Taylor added 16 points, seven rebounds, and five assists off the bench in the win. Williams scored 13 points with three 3-pointers.
Max Shelley finished with 11 points and
Denise Gonzalez had 10.
"Sydnee gave us a huge effort tonight with more than just scoring," Jarrard said. "Sicilee, Max, and Denise were also big contributors in tonight's win."
Westminster was efficient at the offensive end with 20 assists and just 11 turnovers. They held CSUP to 39.4 percent shooting and only 7 of 29 from three. The ThunderWolves had a 45-40 edge on the boards with 19 offensive rebounds for 26 points.
All five starters scored in double figures for the visitors. Jaszymn Johnson and Molly Rohrer had 18 points apiece with Johnson adding 15 rebounds.
"I'm proud of our team effort tonight and the fight we showed," Jarrard added. "That's a fun win for the kids."
The Griffins will look to build off the big win on Saturday when they host New Mexico Highlands at 5:30 p.m. Tickets for the game in the Behnken Field House are available by visiting
WestminsterGriffins.com/tickets.
