BATESVILLE, Ark. — The Westminster College women’s basketball team started its three-game road trip by taking on the Lyon College Scots in Batesville, Arkansas.
The Scots are newcomers to the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, and this was their first meeting on the hardwood.
The Scots came out firing on all cylinders, jumping to a 12-4 lead in the early goings. They extended that lead to 22-11 through the first quarter and ended the quarter with a 34-25 lead over the Blue Jays.
Westminster adjusted between quarters and stepped up the defensive intensity, holding the Scots offense to just 12 points in the second quarter after giving up 34 points in the first. The Blue Jays’ defense forced 12 turnovers in the second quarter as they mounted their comeback and took the lead heading into halftime, up 52-46.
The Blue Jays grew their lead to 10 points at 66-56 with 5:35 left in the third quarter. The Scots started to mount a comeback of their own, cutting the Westminster lead to two points near the end of the third quarter. The Jays stopped the Lyon comeback attempt and countered with a 12-7 run to take an 80-73 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Lyon got to the free-throw line in the fourth quarter and chipped away at the Westminster lead, scoring five straight points to make it 82-78 with 8:38 remaining. The Blue Jays got their lead back to nine points with 40 seconds remaining and won the game 102-97.
Westminster had four players score in double figures and one player with nine points. Annette Ramirez led the way with a season-high 35 points and a team-high 13 rebounds and six assists. Senior Avylina Powell-Qualo had 16 points and seven rebounds, and fellow senior Caragan Lockard tied a season-high 14 points. Olivia Hixson also tied a season-high in scoring with 13 points. Tristan Porter dropped three 3-pointers as she had nine points off the bench.
The Blue Jays will continue their trip to the southern United States as they head to Columbus, Mississippi, to take on the Mississippi University for Women on Saturday. That game will tip off at 1 p.m.