LAKE WALES, Fla. (November 4, 2022) - The Webber International University women's basketball team opened the 2022-23 regular season on Friday afternoon as it matched up against William Carey University as part of the SSAC/SUN Conference Challenge. The Warriors struggled offensively in the first half and were unable to overcome the deficit in a 68-55 loss.

William Carey (1-0 overall) shot 47.2 percent from the field for the game while the Warriors (0-1) shot just 30.6 percent. Despite shooting a lower percentage, Webber played well defensively, forcing the Crusaders into 20 turnovers. Although the Warriors only capitalized with 24 points off those turnovers.

The Crusaders jumped out to an early lead as Webber could not get anything going offensively. The Warriors shot 11.1 percent in the first quarter and could only muster five points. Following an 8-0 run by William Carey to start the quarter, a basket from Rushell Jacob followed by a three-pointer by Alexandria Lemmon, brought the Warriors within three. A 13-0 run from the Crusaders, however, saw them extend their lead to as many as 16 heading into the second quarter.

The Warriors' offensive woes continued throughout the second quarter as William Carey slowly and methodically built upon its lead. The Crusaders led by as many as 27 but held a commanding 41-15 advantage at halftime.

The third quarter saw Webber start to gain some momentum offensively as they shot 33.3 percent, but still William Carey fought evenly and maintained the 26-point lead heading into the final quarter of action.

The Warriors shot their best in the fourth quarter, led by Jaida Burgess who scored 14 points in the final 10 minutes alone. Webber began to chip away at the lead but there was not enough time to overcome the insurmountable lead the Crusaders had developed over the course of the first three quarters.

Leading the way offensively was sophomore-guard Burgess with 20 points on 33.3 percent shooting. She also tied with Samantha Pacheco and Lemmon for the most rebounds on the team, each with five. Pacheco had a solid game all-around as she tallied 11 points and a team-high five assists as well as two steals. Jacob ended the game with eight points and added a block and two rebounds to her credit.

Webber will be back in action tomorrow as SSAC/SUN Conference Challenge continues on Saturday, November 5th. The Warriors will face the University of Mobile with tip-off is set for 1:30 p.m. on the campus of Warner University.