DENVER – The Regis University women's basketball team concluded its 2019-20 season slate of home games with Senior Night at Regis Field House and fell to Westminster, 69-60, on Saturday.
 
How It Happened: The Griffins held a 59-50 lead over the Rangers with 5:16 left in regulation when junior forward Sarah McGinley hit a jumper to extend Westminster's lead to 61-50, which proved too much for Regis to overcome.
 
WC maintained a multi-possession lead for the remainder of the contest. However, junior forward Whitney Jacob pushed the game to its final score on her jumper with 8 seconds left before the final buzzer.
 
RU started the game as the offensive aggressor with its opening 6-0 run on account of back-to-back treys from Jacob and senior forward McKenna Bishop just 30 seconds and 1:15 into the game, respectively. Senior forward Jaz'Myne Snipes assisted on Bishop's basket.
 
However, the Griffins later ended their scoring drought and proceeded to overtake the Rangers with a 10-0 run to end the first quarter. Down 15-7 at the 3:19 mark of the first, McGinley's fastbreak 3-pointer started the run to trim the Westminster deficit to 15-10. Free throws from junior guard Kaylee Carlsen broke a 15-15 tie with 9 seconds to go in the first to give WC a 17-15 lead to end the opening frame.
 
The run grew to 12-0 and ended on senior guard Kaitlin Toluono's layup at the 9:04 clock reading of the second, providing the Griffins with a 19-15 lead.
 
Following eight lead changes and one tie in just over a 5-minute span, including four within a minute, junior forward Grace O'Neill tied the game with a free throw with only 20 seconds to go in the first half. She then proceeded to cause a ninth lead change within the second quarter with another free throw, 31-30, with 3 seconds on the clock prior to the intermission to give Regis a slim lead going into halftime.
 
Unfortunately, RU surrendered the lead for the last time in the game during Westminster's third-quarter, 6-0 run. The run began on Toluono's game-tying jumper at the 7:42 mark to make the score, 36-36. Carlsen's free throws gave WC the lead, 38-36, with 7:02 left, while junior point guard Mariah Martin's fastbreak jumper with 6:14 remaining capped the run with the Griffins leading, 40-36.
 
Later in the third, free throws from Toluono kickstarted a 7-0 run for Westminster at the 2:44 mark. This run came to an end on McGinley's free throw with 23 seconds left to give WC a 50-40 lead.
Jacob managed to cut the deficit to 50-43 on her trey with less than a second to go in the third.
 
In the second of two occurrences during the game, Bishop drilled a 3-pointer that was made possible by an assist by Snipes. Bishop's trey trimmed the Rangers' deficit to 52-48 with 8:14 remaining prior to the final buzzer. 
 
The Griffins' lead grew to as high as 11 though in the fourth quarter for the first of four instances during that 10-minute span when McGinley made her previously mentioned jumper to put the game out of reach for Regis.
 
Game Notes: Jacob led RU with her team-highs of 19 points and 11 rebounds, securing her 14th double-double of the season, to go along with her game-high four assists and one steal. Bishop scored a career-high 14 points, grabbed one rebound, and had a share of the game-high one block in her final home game with the Rangers. Snipes recorded five points, four rebounds, two assists, a share of the game-high one block, and a game-high three steals in her final home contest with Regis.
 
RU trailed Westminster by a 28-16 margin in points in the paint. However, the Rangers did hold a 10-4 advantage in bench points. 
 
Both Bishop and Snipes were honored for their contributions over four years with Regis during the pregame ceremony. Student manager Anita Ayala and the late Mackenzie Forrest, who was recruited by coach Molly Marrin, were also honored in the pregame ceremony.
 
Up Next for the Rangers: RU falls to an 11-16 record overall and a 9-12 record in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) play. The Rangers will conclude their regular season at Colorado Christian (9-18, 9-12 RMAC). Regis's 2019-20 season finale with the Cougars will take place at CCU Event Center on Friday at 5 p.m.