The women’s basketball team received their desired reinforcement with the return of sophomore All-GSAC guard DeMoria White and junior guard Tina Esbenshade. However, their combined 13 points ended up not enough to lift the Eagles past Hope International University.  

The two teams met for the third time this season on March 4., splitting wins on the the last outings. Their most recent matchup occurred when Hope robbed the Eagles of their senior night on Feb. 27. This third matchup took place in the first round of the Golden State Athletic Conference Tournament, a win-or-go-home scenario.

Hope opened the game with a strong first half, outscoring the Eagles 32-21. Biola’s largest and only lead of the game occurred when they were up by five after a three from senior guard Aubree Mittel. The Royals answered with two threes of their own, leading to a 10-0 run.

Sophomore guard Danielle Kennedy led Biola in the first half with seven points and four rebounds. The second leading scorer for the Eagles was senior forward Taylor Casey who also had four rebounds with her four points.

The second half went slightly better for the Eagles, but they still failed to grab the upper hand. White played a half on par with her regular season standard, scored 10 points in the half accompanied with three rebounds and two assists. Despite the efforts of the sophomore star, the team lost the half 29-31, resulting in a 50-63 final score.  

White, Kennedy and Casey were the three Eagles to finish the game in double-digits. Casey also finished her final game for Biola two rebounds short of a double-double.

Biola concludes its season with a final record of 14-18 including post-season play. Last season the team held a record of 16-15. This makes a miniscule difference considering their star senior guard Annie Park is sitting out due to redshirting, and this marks the first season for head coach Alan Nakamura.