Basketball season has begun, and both Biola teams have started off well. The Eagles traveled north over the weekend, kicking off the regular season with a 67-53 win at Holy Names University. Sophomore Josh Miller had a monster game, posting a double-double of 19 points and 16 rebounds while also adding three assists and a blocked shot. Junior Danny Campbell also added 15 points to help Biola to the victory.
Saturday the men battled NAIA Div. II No. 21-ranked Dominican and picked up another victory, winning by a score of 65-55. Miller again led the way with 19 points while adding seven boards. He got some help from junior Rocky Hampton, who had 15 points and eight rebounds to seal the victory for Biola.
The men return to action on Tuesday, Nov. 25, as they travel to face cross-town rival Whittier College at 7:30 p.m.
On the women’s side, Biola started the season Nov. 1 with a 56-50 win over UC San Diego. Senior Megann Alberts was the Eagles’ leading scorer, tallying 13 points, while sophomore Jessilyn Conicelli added 10 points and 10 rebounds posting a double-double as Biola hung on to win.
The women continued to play well as they knocked off No. 5 Lewis-Clark State on the 7th by a score of 76-65. Alberts led the way with 24 points, six rebounds, four assists, three steals, and 12 of 14 free throws.
Sophomore Jenna French added 14 points and six rebounds with Conicelli scoring 10 points and snatching 12 boards as Biola pulled off the upset.
The winning streak continued as the Eagles hosted Dominican on Friday. French led the Eagles’ offensive onslaught with 17 points and was one shy of recording a double-double with nine rebounds. Alberts also nearly had a double-double of her own, putting up 10 points and nine rebounds. Conicelli and junior Chelsea De Luca both added 10 points and freshman Charrise Reese added just five points, but totaled nine assists distributing the ball well and also accumulated three steals.
“We call Charrise ‘Mighty Mouse’ because she is little, but is so strong,” Alberts said. “She plays with a lot of heart.”
Biola completely dominated Dominican in the paint, holding a 42-4 edge and outscoring the Penguins 22-2 on fast-break points as they routed Dominican 83-60.
The women showed no signs of cooling off as they remained hot against Melbourne Roos. Alberts continued to be the go-to scorer as she dropped in 18 points while also having eight rebounds, four steals and one assist. Biola had another efficient shooting night, hitting 51.5 percent from the field. Junior Elise Paty knocked down three shots from downtown and the Eagles as a team hit eight three-pointers total. Conicelli continued her excellent play filling up the stat sheet with 14 points, six rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
Alberts is not surprised at the kind of numbers Conicelli has been posting this season so far.
“Jessilyn has really worked hard and has really done well so far in the starting lineup,” she said.
Alberts attributes the team’s success early on this season to strong team chemistry and having fun together.
“I am used to leading the team in scoring, but I feel less pressure this year because my teammates that are stepping up and sharing the scoring load,” Alberts said.
The women return to action next week as they travel to Utah for the Westminster College tournament. The Eagles will face host Westminster on tomorrow and take on Montana-Western on Saturday.
