Stafford Scores Career-High 30 Points Against Westminster

FULTON, Mo.— The Fontbonne University women's basketball team had hopes of taking down Westminster on Saturday in its final conference game on the 2018 slate, but it was the Blue Jays coming away with the 93-74 win.

The Griffins (3-6; 1-2 SLIAC), shot 37.3 percent from the floor but did hit season-high 25 free throws on 30 attempts.

Individually, Rylee Stafford had herself a game with a career-high 30 points on 10-of-22 shooting, including going 7-of-7 from the free throw line. Her 30-point performance places her sixth all-time for most points in a single game.

Paige Black went 9-of-10 from the charity stripe to finish with 17 points and came away with seven steals, while Riley Guffey and Sarah Schraut ended with 10 points each.

Westminster (9-1; 4-0 SLIAC), shot 48.3 percent from the floor, went 10-of-22 (45.5 percent) from downtown, hit 27-of-34 from the free throw line.

Mirrakohl Johnson was one of three Blue Jays with 20-plus points finishing with a team-high 28 on 9-of-16 shooting. Before fouling out, Kendahl Adams registered a double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds, while Kallee Dowler hit six 3-pointers to end with 23 points.

In the first quarter, the Griffins cut it down to 7-5 at the 7:34 mark on Black's made layup. Over the next three minutes, the Blue Jays went on a 9-2 run to take a 16-7 advantage on Kallee Dowler's 3-pointer.

Later, at 1:21, Stafford drained her 3-pointer to narrow the deficit down to 26-15. However, the Blue Jays stayed hot from the floor and closed out on a 7-2 run to take the 33-17 lead.

The Griffins hit 46.7 percent of its shots in the first, but Westminster was nearly perfect going 10-of-13 and hit all six of its 3-pointers.

In the second, Black was fouled on her 3-point attempt with just under seven minutes remaining. She went on to hit all three attempts to make it 38-24. The Blue Jays though maintained its double-digit lead the rest of the way and went into the break on top by 20.

Fontbonne shot 36.4 percent in the first half and made it count from the charity stripe going 19-of-22 (86.4 percent). Stafford led the charge with a team-high 12 points. Black, meanwhile, went 9-of-10 from the line to finish with 11.

Westminster missed just 12 shots in the half as they went 16-of-28 (57.1 percent) overall. Johnson had herself a half with 18 points on 5-of-10 shooting. Adams totaled 17 points, while Kallee Dowler had 14.

In the third, Stafford scored the Griffins first four points to make it 56-40 at 8:44. The Jackson, Mo., native, totaled 12 of the teams 17 points in the quarter, but the Blue Jays still led 73-53 going into the fourth.

In the finale, the Griffins shot 41.2 percent and 57.1 percent from downtown, however, the Blue Jays were able to go on for the 19-point win.

The team looks to snap its three-game slide next week in Tampa, Fla. The Griffins take on Olivet on Wednesday night. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m.

Fans make sure to stay updated on fontbonnegriffins.com throughout the year for full updates and recaps on the women's basketball team.

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