Women’s basketball falls late to APU, snapping win streak

APU ends Eagles’ three game win streak.

Austin Green and Sasha Terry • February 4, 2018

Women’s basketball falls late to APU, snapping win streak

The Eagles played against Azusa Pacific University at Chase Gymnasium on Feb. 3. The two teams traded leads several times throughout the intense game. The Eagles came up short in the final seconds as APU won by a score of 68-65.

APU JUMPS OUT TO FIRST HALF LEAD

APU made a layup in the beginning of the game. After this, junior guard Danielle Kennedy and senior guard Demoria White each made a three-point shot, bringing the score to 6-2 with the Eagles in the lead. APU responded with a 10-point run, putting a six-point lead between themselves and the Eagles. In the the last three minutes of the quarter, the Eagles went on a nine-point run and tied the game 12-12. Kennedy made a three-point shot with 34 seconds left, putting the Eagles in the lead by a score of 15-12.

In the second quarter, the teams exchanged leads a total of four times as the momentum swung back and forth. White made a three-pointer to give Biola a 25-22 lead with five minutes remaining in the quarter, and the shot carried extra meaning as it made her the ninth player in Eagles’ women’s basketball history to score 1,500 career points. APU went on a four-point run to break a 27-27 tie with under two minutes before halftime, capping it off with a steal and fastbreak layup. The Eagles cut the lead by one with a free throw from White but headed into the break down 31-28.

LATE COMEBACK FALLS SHORT

Kennedy nailed a game-tying three-pointer in the opening seconds of the third quarter. However, APU promptly responded with a nine-point run to grab hold of the lead. From then on, the Eagles kept pace but could not put a sizeable dent in their deficit, and the quarter ended with Biola down 51-41.

The Eagles began to cut into APU’s lead at the start of the fourth quarter. At 5:06, freshman forward Jazz Benn made a three-point shot which moved the Eagles ahead of APU to 56-55, and the lead went back and forth from there, With 14 seconds left, White made two free throw shots to move the score to 65-64. However, APU responded with a layup and the Eagles immediately turned the ball over, allowing APU to finish the game with 68-65 win.

White scored 15 points, and had eight rebounds and four assists. Benn also collected four steals and junior forward Sara Dougan blocked three shots.

“KEEP FIGHTING, KEEP COMPETING”

“I thought the keys to the game where to keep fighting, keep competing, on the defensive and the rebounding and playing with a lot of poise on the offensive end,” said head coach Alan Nakamura. “We showed a lot of fight, a lot of grit and an emphasis on poise of the offensive end.”

Kennedy was pleased with how the Eagles controlled the pace for the most part.

“Work hard focus on our fundamentals, up our tempo…play our own game. I think for the most part we did that,” Kennedy said. “There were some spurts where we should have stayed more poised.”

Sophomore guard Tatum Brimley enjoyed the unique environment of the rivalry game.

“Exciting, it’s always, it just makes me want to play more hard when there’s this many people.”

The loss moved the Eagles to 7-7 in the Pacwest conference and 10-10 overall. The Eagles next challenge will be at home game against Holy Names University on Feb. 5 at 5:30 p.m.

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About the Contributors

Austin Green, Managing Editor

Austin Green is a junior journalism major who was first among his friends to predict that LeBron James would sign with the Los Angeles Lakers. When not focused on school or work, he enjoys watching sports, going to the beach or coffee shops, and hanging out with the guys on his dorm floor. [email protected] I laughed the first time I heard a former editor-in-chief use the line “once you join the Chimes, you never really leave.” Now in my third year here, it turns out the joke’s on me. After two years in the sports section, including last year as sports editor, I’m thrilled to be serving this year as managing editor to help build upon the legacy of such a great publication. My aspirations remain in sports journalism, but experience has deepened my love for dedicated local news reporting and its importance in communities. Much of my appreciation for that type of journalism came through working as a digital production intern for NBC Los Angeles last summer. There I helped cover stories such as the Trader Joe’s hostage crisis, the Cranston and Holy wildfires, and the Lakers’ overhaul of their iconic uniforms. I am so excited to help build this next chapter of the Chimes as we become a web-first publication with a deeper, dedicated focus on the communities in and around campus. I also contribute a print sports column, “Everything Eagles,” which provides a deeper look into Biola Athletics.

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.