LA MIRADA, Calif. --- Junior forward
Jessilyn Conicelli recorded her fourth double-double of the season, scoring 20 points and adding 12 rebounds to lead Biola to a 76-57 victory over Black Hills State University (S.D) in the final game of the 2009 Guesthouse Inn/BU Holiday Classic on Thursday.
The Eagles record their third-straight victory and improve to 6-5 on the season. The Yellow Jackets, ranked No. 5 in the latest NAIA Division II poll, drop to 11-3 overall. Biola closes out the tournament with a perfect 2-0 record.
Conicelli had an impressive game, going 8-of-12 from the field to lead all scorers with 20 points. Her 12 rebounds gave her the fourth double-double of the year, which leads the GSAC. Conicelli had six offensive and six defensive rebounds to go along with five assists, two blocks and two steals.
Senior guard
Chelsea De Luca collected 12 points on four three-pointers, including a pair of clutch threes midway through the game.
Black Hills got off to a quick start, jumping out to an early 8-0 lead thanks to a pair of three-pointers and a break-away layup. Biola still trailed 11-5 just over three minutes in before mounting a 9-0 run over the next three minutes to go up 14-11 with 13:51 left.
The teams remained close over the next seven minutes with the Eagles leading 27-23 at the 6:38 mark before a quick 7-0 run capped by a three-pointer by
Lauren Gustafson stretched the lead to 11 with 5:00 to play. Biola closed the half with an eight-point advantage at 40-32.
In the second half, the Yellow Jackets started out hot again, quickly closing the gap to four with another pair of three-pointers. But Biola responded in kind with an 11-0 run over the next five minutes to take its largest lead of the game to that point at 53-38 with 13:18 to go.
Black Hills State slowly worked back into the game over the next six minutes and pulled within seven at 59-52 on a deep three by Keely Krolikowski with just over seven minutes to go. A pair of free throws over the next couple of minutes stretched the Biola lead back to nine, but a three-pointer by De Luca off an inbound play ended all doubt as the Eagles went back up 64-52 with 4:45 left.
The Eagles had another strong shooting night, hitting 51 percent from the field, which helped offset 22 turnovers. Biola also played strong defense, holding the Yellow Jackets to just 35.8 percent shooting and forcing 19 turnovers. Black Hills State made just 19 field goals in the game with 10 coming from beyond the arc where the team was 10-of-27 (37.0 percent).
Biola held a dominating 41-23 edge in rebounding including a 16-11 edge on the offensive glass. The Eagles outscored Black Hills State 16-4 in second-chance points.
Biola returns to GSAC play for its next contest, traveling to face arch-rival Azusa Pacific University on Tuesday (Jan. 5) at 5:30 p.m. The Cougars, who are ranked No. 12 in the NAIA, are 9-2 overall and 2-0 in conference play thus far.
