BABSON PARK, Fla. (December 29, 2017) – The Webber International University women's basketball team won its third straight nonconference game to close out the 2017 portion of its 2017-18 season as the Warriors handed Reinhardt a 10-point loss, 61-51, on Friday night at the Sabbagh Athletic Center.
The win improved Webber's record to 6-9 overall as the Warriors are now 5-3 against nonconference NAIA Division-II opponents. Reinhardt, which is currently receiving votes in the NAIA National Coaches' Poll after being ranked as high as No. 18 earlier in the season, suffered its second loss in three games and fell to 10-4 overall on the year.
Leading the Warriors statistically was
Ashley Perry with 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field. Perry also finished with six rebounds, four steals and two assists for a strong all-around game.
Breyonna Reed was the only other Warrior in double figures as she netted 12 points while also adding two assists and two steals.
RayGene Garner was next with nine points, and
Emmarrie Carmen had big moments throughout the game en route to finishing with six points and a career-high 10 rebounds.
Jakia Davis won the opening tip for Webber as
Tiffany Zito found Perry for a quick layup to give the Warriors a lead only four seconds into the game. Webber then led 4-0 on another layup by Perry 30 seconds later as the Warriors were off and running early and showed that they came to play.
Another score by Perry made it a six-point game in favor of Webber at 14-8 with 5:12 left in the first quarter. In all, Perry would go on to finish with 10 points in the first quarter as Webber led by three (22-19) after the first 10 minutes.
The Warriors shot a very strong 56.3 percent from the field in the first quarter compared to 38.5 percent shooting from the Eagles. Both teams shot 28.6 percent in the second quarter and failed to reach 36 percent shooting or better in any of the subsequent quarters.
Similarly to how it started the game, Webber opened up the second half with a quick score as Reed converted on an and-one to make it a seven-point Warrior advantage (37-30). Back-to-back free throws by Perry then made it a nine-point game at 41-32 with 6:40 remaining in the third quarter.
In the final quarter, Reinhardt started off with a banked-in 3-pointer to make it a one-point margin at 46-45, but was never able to tie it up or take a lead as six straight points for the Warriors over a 31 second span and starting with 7:05 left made it a seven-point game at 54-47.
With 2:53 left to play, Perry blocked a Reinhardt shot and then found Garner for another and-one to help put Webber up by 10 at 59-49. Then, yet another score by Perry, this time with 1:28 remaining, made it a 12-point game at 61-49 to cap a 13-2 Webber run over a six-minute span.
Similarly to how Webber was able to hold on to defeat Montreat College a day earlier on December 28 by holding the Cavaliers to only seven points in the final quarter, the Warriors' ability to win on Friday was aided by a strong defensive effort in the fourth quarter as Webber again held its opponent to single digits (nine against Reinhardt on Friday) in the frame.
In addition to recording an assist on 11 of its 22 made baskets, Webber also outscored the Eagles 27-15 in points off turnovers, 36-28 in points in the paint and 16-2 on fast break points.
Next up, Webber will ring in the New Year by returning to Sun Conference action as the Warriors host Saint Thomas University at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 4. The Warriors are seeking their second straight conference win while Saint Thomas will enter the matchup with a perfect 5-0 record in TSC play.
