Despite edging out their opponent in rebounds, turnovers killed the Eagles when they took on Point Loma Nazarene University in Chase Gymnasium last Thursday night, Nov. 29.
They turned the ball over 20 times which led to 23 undeserved points for the Sea Lions. Sadly, it ended up being more than the difference as the No. 9 ranked Point Loma took the game by the final score of 79-69, vanquishing the women’s bid for an impressive upset.
For the Eagles, the night belonged to sophomore guard Chelsea De Luca, who scored a career-high 20 points, including six hit shots from beyond the arc. Junior forward Megann Alberts and junior forward Summer Matthews also made solid contributions to the losing effort.
Alberts continues to impress in her junior year, as she added yet another double-double, scoring 16 points to go with 10 boards. Matthews followed close behind her teammate, scoring 10 points while tallying nine rebounds.
Despite trailing early in the game by as much as 14 points, the women played exceptionally well and were able to knot the score up at 60 apiece with less than five minutes of play remaining. However, the Sea Lions went on a late 10-0 run that took the life out of the hard-fighting Eagles. With the win, Point Loma moved to 4-1 overall and 1-1 in the GSAC.
After the tough loss, the team looked to take some anger out on NCAA Division III Pomona-Pitzer College in a non-conference match up on Saturday. The Eagles dominated the game every way, snapping their two-game losing streak with the 88-45 victory.
For the Eagles, it was sophomore guard Elise Paty and freshman forward Jenna French who led the scoring, with 14 points and 13 points respectively. Alberts chipped in 10 points, as the Eagles hit over 50 percent of their taken shots.
By the end of the game, all 13 of the Eagles’ players had scored in the rout. The win moved the Eagles to 4-5 on the season, and they remain at 1-2 in conference play.
French made it clear that even though the ladies play each game hard, the victory was an especially nice way to get back on the right track.
“Saturday’s game against Pomona-Pitzer was just another game,” French said. “We have the heart and desire to win and give every practice and game our all. It’s just a matter of getting a winning spark and overcoming the fear of ourselves.”
The Eagles appeared fearless on Saturday and look to take that same attitude into the rest of their season. They compete in their own alumni game on Dec. 8, but are officially off until Dec. 15, when they will take on Cal State Dominguez Hills at home in Chase Gymnasium, starting at 7 p.m.
