Lake Wales, FL – The Webber International Women's Basketball team faced off against the Sterling College Warriors on Day One of the Warner Classic Thursday afternoon. It was a tale of two halves for the Warriors as after being tied, Webber was outscored in the second half and fell to Sterling 73-59.
The Warriors started the first quarter with guns blazing. Samantha Pacheco started the scoring with a layup in the first minute, before Jermaisa Klopsis and Jaiden Ross both hit jumpers to give Webber a 6-0 lead. Nina Goncalves got the next two shots to fall for the Warriors to take a commanding 10-0 lead. Sterling would slowly get within two points until Pacheco nailed a three to extend the lead to five, 13-8. Jasmine Henry was fouled on a three-point attempt, sending her to the charity stripe where she sunk one of three, as Webber took a 14-10 lead into the second quarter.
Pacheco sank one of two from the free-throw line to extend the lead to five. Triniti Lee hit a jumper off an assist from Pacheco, who soon after sank another three. Goncalves and Klopsis each made jumpers to keep Webber ahead, 24-22. Alisha Walker had the next basket for the Warriors to put them up by four before Goncalves scored the final bucket of the half. Webber and Sterling went into halftime with the score tied 28-28.
Ross and Pacheco got the scoring started in the third quarter, with Ross getting a layup to fall and Pacheco hitting both a three-pointer and a two-pointer. Goncalves and Kori Wimberly scored the next two baskets for Webber, as Webber found themselves down, 51-39. Pacheco found paydirt on another layup before Henry made one of two free throws to end the scoring for the Warriors in the third. Webber trailed Sterling 62-42 heading into the fourth quarter.
Klopsis, Lee, and Ross hit jumpers to try and keep Webber in the game in the fourth, trailing 66-49 after Ross' bucket. Lee and Wimberly hit the next two baskets for the Warriors to drop their deficit to 20 points, 73-53. Zay'ahni Nuerell came in to hit two three-pointers for the final points of the game as the Warriors fell to Sterling 73-59.
Pacheco led the Warriors in scoring, dropping 16. She ended her night with five assists and eight rebounds as well. Goncalves was the next-highest scorer with 10, she added two steals, one block, two assists, and five rebounds. Lee had seven points for the Warriors, while also tallying five blocks and five rebounds.
The Warriors will be back in action on Friday, December 15th when they take on the Cumberland University Phoenix at day two of the Warner Classic.
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