BOX SCORE

LA MIRADA, Calif. --- Biola University opened its 2008-09 season with an impressive 76-65 victory over No. 5 Lewis-Clark State University on Friday afternoon at Chase Gymnasium.

The Eagles (1-0) were led by the 24 points of senior Megann Alberts, who added six rebounds, four assists, three steals and hit 12 of 14 free throws. sophomore Jenna French added 14 points and six boards with fellow sophomore Jessilyn Conicelli scoring 10 points and pulling down 12 rebounds.

Jasmine Stohr scored 16 points for the Warriors (1-1) with Nikki DePeel adding 10.

Biola got off to a bit of a slow start, falling behind 7-3 early, missing nine of its first 10 shots. However, a three-pointer by freshman Cherisse Reese pulled the Eagles to within one and keying a 24-3 run over the next seven minutes giving Biola its largest lead of the game at 27-10.

The Eagles would keep the pressure up and headed to the half with a 39-27 lead after shooting an impressive 44.7 percent from the field.

In the second half, Biola maintained its double-digit advantage through the first 10 minutes of the period before the Warriors began to slowly close the gap. Lewis-Clark State would chip away over the next three minutes and cut the lead to five at 60-55 on a three-pointer by DePeel.

Biola would answer with a 12-1 run to stretch the lead back to 16, the run capped by junior Chelsea De Luca's long three with 3:30 to play. The Eagles would clamp down the rest of the way and cruise to the 11-point victory.

Biola withstood a poor shooting half, hitting just 8-for-34 (23.5 percent) for the field. Lewis-Clark State shot much better in the second half, connecting on 36 percent of its shots. The Eagles also held a 49-41 advantage in rebounds including a 23-14 edge on the offensive glass, helping Biola to 27 second-chance points.

Reese, the talented freshman from Santa Rosa, had a strong first game for Biola, scoring 12 points with six assists and a pair of steals in 39 minutes.

Biola remains at home for its next three games, hosting and exhibition contest against Showtime Australia on Wednesday (Nov. 12) at 7:00 p.m. at Chase Gymnasium. The Eagles next counting game is on Friday (Nov. 14) against Dominican University at 7:00 p.m.