Women’s basketball douses Flames

Eagles gain three-game win streak with a blowout of Bethesda University.

Sasha Terry, Copy Editor • January 17, 2018

Photo courtesy of Caroline Sommers/THE CHIMES [file]

The Eagles played against Bethesda University of California in a non-conference matchup at home on Jan. 17. The Eagles and Flames began the game with a back-and-forth first quarter, but Biola fought for the lead midway through the second quarter and kept it until the end of the game, securing a three-game win streak by a final score of 72-45.

FIRST QUARTER ANXIETY

The first quarter began with a rocky start as both the Eagles and Flames exchanged leads. The Flames made the first tie of the game with a three-point shot, putting the score at 8-8 with a minute and 32 seconds remaining in the first quarter. Following this, Bethesda pulled ahead with a three-point play. The Eagles managed to catch up to Bethesda when sophomore forward Mikayla Greens made a three-point shot to tie the game 11-11 with 32 seconds remaining in the period, but Bethesda made two free throws to give themselves a 13-11 lead before the buzzer.

Junior forward Sara Dougan made a layup at the start of the second quarter to tie the game at 13, sparking a run for the Eagles. After this, the Eagles scored 22 of the next 29 points to build a comfortable lead ahead of Bethesda. With 41 seconds remaining on the clock, sophomore guard Kayla Macedo made a three-point shot to open up a 15-point lead. The second period ended with a score of 35-20, after the Eagles scored 24 points in the quarter alone.

After halftime, the Eagles continued to build their lead, ending the third quarter with an 18-point lead, 53-37. Declining to back down, the Eagles led by as many as 31 points with three minutes on the clock in the fourth quarter.

DISCIPLINED AND COMMITTED

Coach Alan Nakamura saw the game as an opportunity to strengthen the Eagles defense and to remain playing at the same pace as their previous games rather than rushing plays to keep up with Bethesda.

“They will take advantage of every mistake or casual play that you make,” Nakamura said. “We learned from the first quarter that we need to be more disciplined and committed.”

Senior guard Demoria White led the team with 12 points. Greens retrieved a high of 13 rebounds and focused on being aggressive on offense.

“Just one rebound makes a difference to get the team rolling back on defense,” Greens said. “We didn’t really come with a lot of energy, so we needed to stay focused.”

All the Eagles grabbed at least one or more rebounds, which totaled to a season-high of 53 boards.

The non-conference win put the Eagles at 7-8 overall. Their next contest will be a PacWest matchup at home against Hawaii Pacific University on Jan. 20 at 5:30 p.m.

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About the Contributor

Sasha Terry, Copy Editor

Sasha Terry is a senior journalism major who is known for her positivity and passion. She enjoys writing, playing sports, watching movies, traveling, shopping and spending time with friends and family. After traveling from Auburn, Washington which is about 40 minutes south of Seattle, to Biola University, I declared to major in journalism with an emphasis in broadcast. I came to Biola University with a strong passion for being involved in activities on campus that would demonstrate my artistic and writing abilities. The Chimes caught my eye the first semester of my freshman year and I decided to work with the staff as a freelance sports writer. I enjoyed attending the games, interviewing the coaches and players and writing game recaps. The next semester, I applied for the sports staff writer position and was accepted, which strengthened my writing drastically. During my sophomore and junior year, I worked as a Web Editor and innovated the Chimes website and social media pages. This year, I am stepping into the Copy Editor position and I aim to continue working towards my goal of being a broadcast journalist by reporting stories and challenging myself to learn more about AP Style. I will also continue to write for the sports section to strengthen my writing even more. I’m so glad to be a part of the staff and I’m excited for what’s to come next.