LAKE WALES, Fla. (December 19, 2022) – Less than 15 minutes away from its home court, the Webber International University women's basketball team competed in the Warner Classic in which it played two games against No. 11 Carroll College and the University of Pikeville this past Saturday and Sunday. The Warriors played two quality opponents and ultimately fell to both, 66-40, to Caroll, and 73-60, to Pikeville.
The Warriors (2-9 overall) first took on No. 11 Carroll (8-4) on Saturday afternoon and were no match for the Saints. Webber struggled to get anything going offensively as they were held to just 28.6 percent shooting from the field.
The Saints held the Warriors to just 13 points in the whole first half while they managed to score 13 in the first quarter and 17 in the second, taking a 30-13 halftime lead.
Webber picked it up slightly on the offensive end in the third quarter, scoring 14 points behind
Jaida Burgess' 10. However, Carroll kept its foot on the gas as they scored 27 points on 64.7 percent shooting and increased their lead to as many as 32. The Warriors outscored the Saints in the final quarter of play but the deficit was too great to overcome.
Burgess led the team in scoring and rebounds with 13 and six respectively. She was followed by
Jermasia Klopsis with seven points while
Alexandria Lemmon ended with six points and five rebounds.
Triniti Lee put up a good defensive effort, tallying three blocks in total.
The Warriors then battled the Pikeville Bears (9-4) the following day. Webber improved offensively as they shot 44.1 percent but the Bears were able to get to the charity stripe 21 times in the game, converting 18 of those free throws.
It was a competitive first quarter as the two teams were level at 4-4 after three minutes and again at 7-7 another three minutes after that. A three-pointer followed by two successful free throws earned Pikeville the lead. The Bears were able to hold that lead heading into quarter number two.
The Warriors went on a 9-3 run that ended with a layup by
Rushell Jacob to earn them the lead. The lead then changed several times over the next two minutes or so before Burgess converted two free throws to knot things up at 24 with just under five minutes left in the half. Webber did not score for the remainder of the quarter as the Bears went a 10-0 run, taking a double-digit lead into halftime.
Webber fought to get itself back in the game over the course of the third quarter, getting within two after a three-pointer from
Omyara Garcia with just under three minutes left. Pikeville responded, however, with an 11-2 run to end the quarter to regain its advantage. Once again, the Warriors did not back down as they whittled away at the Pikeville lead. A three by Klopsis with just under five minutes left in the game pulled Webber back within three. But Pikeville again went on a run of their own to extend the lead and seal the game.
The Warriors were led by Jacob who set a season-high and tied her career-high with 16 points and added five rebounds. Burgess followed close behind with 13 points and a team-high 11 rebounds to earn her third double-double of the season.
Samantha Pacheco had a solid outing as she ended with eight points, five rebounds, five assists, and no turnovers.
Webber now has a holiday break as it takes off 11 days and will prepare for another back-to-back, this time at home, when it hosts Taylor University on Friday, December 30 at 3 p.m. The Warriors then face yet another top-25 opponent the following day as they battle No. 6 Marian University on New Year's Eve.
