BOX SCORE

SALT LAKE CITY --- Freshman Emily Drews drained a three-pointer with to break a tie with 45 seconds and Biola held on for a to a 77-73 win over No. 16-ranked Westminster College on Friday night in the first day of the Westminster Tournament in Salt Lake City.

The Eagles run their record to 3-0 to start the season and pick up their second win against an NAIA Top-15 team on the young season. They also hand the Griffins their first loss of the season as they fall to 8-1.

Senior Megann Alberts led Biola with a game-high 29 points--18 in the first half--and added nine rebounds while freshman Charrise Reece added 16 points and seven assists. 

The Eagles showed no signs of fatigue after a long drive to Utah, shooting an impressive 53.6 percent from the field. The Biola defense played well, holding the Griffins--who entered the contest averaging just under 96 points per game--to a season-low 73. Westminster's bread and butter, the three-point shot, just was not there for the home side, which converted on just 8-of-20 attempts on the night.

Westminster opened with a bang, racing out to a quick 7-0 lead to start the game. The Griffins would maintain a lead through the first 16 minutes of the contest before a pair of free throws by sophomore center Christina Barclay gave the Eagles their first advantage at 29-28 with 3:45 to play in the first half. The two teams exchanged baskets down the stretch and headed to the locker room knotted at 38-38.

In the second half, the Griffins took a 43-40 lead early in the period only to see Biola come back with a quick 7-0 run capped by a three-pointer from junior guard Chelsea De Luca. The trey gave the Eagles their largest lead of the game at 47-43 with 16:11 to go. 

Westminster steadily chipped away and took a 57-53 on a layup by Shannon Evans with 9:46 remaining. But Biola came right back again with another 7-0 thanks to five-straight points from Alberts. 

The two teams continued to battle down the stretch and a three-pointer by Keshia Catten tied the game at 71-71 with 1:02 to play. But Drews gave Biola the lead for good with a three-ball of her own and the Eagles converted on 3-of-4 free throw attempts down the stretch including a pair by De Luca with 11 seconds to play to clinch the victory.

"It was a great game and huge win for us," said Head Coach Ken Crawford. "Charrise and Meghan were steady for us all night and we got a big shot from one of our true freshman. This is a tough place to play and they are a very good team. To come out of here with a win is big."

Catten had a team-high 20 points for Westminster thanks to 6-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc. Shannon Evans added 15 points and seven assists while Elisa Leader contributed 12 points. 

Biola closes out the tournament on Saturday (Nov. 22), taking on Montana State University-Northern at 3:00 p.m. PST.