Cal Baptist Women’s Basketball Triumphs
In a commanding performance, the Cal Baptist women’s basketball team triumphed over Abilene Christian with a score of 74-58, clinching their second Western Athletic Conference (WAC) championship in just three years. Top seed Cal Baptist raised its season record to 23-10 with the victory, demonstrating impressive shooting accuracy at 44% from the field, while limiting their opponents to a mere 31%.
Key Players
Key to the Lancers’ success was Lauren Olson, who led the scoring with 17 points, also contributing three steals to the team’s defensive efforts. She was supported by Emma Johansson, who added 15 points before fouling out, while Khloe Lemon scored 13 and Shawnee Nordstrom chipped in with 12. Notably, Filipa Barros had a standout game with eight points, 13 rebounds—the highest of the match—and 11 assists, showcasing her all-around skills.
Opposition Performance
For the Wildcats (22-10), Erin Woodson led the charge with 16 points, going 6-for-10 from the field. Emma Troxell recorded a double-double with 12 points and a team-best 12 rebounds, while Payton Hull rounded out the scoring for Abilene Christian with 10 points.
Looking Ahead
This victory marks Cal Baptist’s third WAC championship, although their previous title in 2021 did not secure them an automatic NCAA tournament bid owing to their transitional phase from Division II to Division I. Last year, the Lancers made their maiden NCAA Tournament appearance as a No. 15 seed but faced a tough opening round against second-seeded UCLA, ending that matchup with an 84-55 loss.
As Cal Baptist prepares to move to the Big West Conference on July 1, they now look forward to the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. The seeding announcements will take place on Sunday, with the tournament commencing shortly thereafter, featuring the First Four games on Wednesday and Thursday leading into the first round on Friday.
