Slow Start Stalls the Warriors

Westcliff women's basketball team continued their road trip in Arizona as they visited Benedectine Mesa on Friday.

The Warriors were coming in not having played a full game in a couple of days after their game the night before was canceled due to a power outage.

A slow start to the game had them playing catch up in what would eventually be a loss for the Warriors, 91-81.

They fell behind as the Redhawks started the game by scoring the first 10 points.

Head coach Kyle Rouse shared his thoughts on the Warriors' slow start: "We knew exactly what to expect from Benedictine, a solid walkthrough to cover the specifics, and unfortunately, we just didn't handle the pressure well."

Westcliff was able to bring the score to single digits during the first quarter, and at one point they were behind by three points.

But the Redhawks played their game and in the second quarter had a double-digit lead again.

The Warriors finished the half down 50-36.

"As simple as it sounds, we just didn't handle adversity well tonight, we were looking for excuses instead of looking inward and handling our business by just being tougher at the moment," said Rouse. "Credit to Benedictine though, they did a great job making us uncomfortable and controlling the tempo of the game."

Westcliff was never able to bring the score within striking distance as they were defeated in a very important conference game.

"Honestly, Benedictine just did a great job coming out quickly and punched us in the mouth, unfortunately, we dug ourselves too big of a hole," said Rouse.

Trinity Vasquez continued her solid season with 20 points, seven rebounds, and two assists.

Eva Taylor scored 18 points and dished out three assists. She also made three baskets from beyond the arc.

Off the bench, Neyha Lali scored 20 points while shooting over 70% from the field.