BOX SCORE
LA MIRADA, Calif. — Biola cut a 10-point second-half deficit to three with 48 seconds to go but could not complete the comeback attempt, falling 59-56 to arch-rival Azusa Pacific in its regular-season finale on Monday night at Chase Gymnasium.
The Eagles end the regular-season with an overall record of 9-21 and a 6-14 mark in conference play. The Cougars, ranked No. 9 in the latest NAIA National Poll, improve to 24-6 and 16-4 in the GSAC.
Junior Megann Alberts had game-highs of 18 points and 14 rebounds for Biola with junior Summer Matthews and sophomore Elise Paty adding nine-points each.
The Eagles opened the game red-hot, scoring the first 10 points of the game and leading 15-5 just over seven minutes in. They maintained a lead of nine at 24-15 with 7:35 to go before the half, but Azusa Pacific rode a 23-1 run to a 37-25 lead and took a 10-point advantage to the locker room.
In the second half, the Cougars extended their lead to 15 points at 49-34 with 15:35 to play when Biola's defense went to work. Azusa Pacific maintained a slight edge, though the Eagles were able to keep the lead around 10 down the stretch. The Cougars took a 59-49 lead with 2:42 to play on a free throw by Nikita Gordon. However, that proved to be their final points of the contest.
Biola freshman Jenna French, who finished with eight points, hit a pair of free throws on the next possession to make it an eight-point game with 2:27 to go. Then–after an APU turnover–Paty drained a deep three to cut the Cougar lead to five with 1:41 left. Biola got the ball back with under a minute to play still trailing by five and French again headed to the free throw line after being fouled on an offensive rebound attempt. She hit both shot s to make it 59-56 with 48 seconds to go.
After a French block gave the Eagles the ball back, Alberts tried to cut the lead to one on a jumper in the lane, but the shot rattled off and the rebound went to Azusa Pacific's Kristie Hala'ufia. She was fouled immediately with five seconds showing on the clock, but missed the front end of the one-and-one. The rebound came to Alberts who tried a deep three-pointer, but had that miss two as the Cougars got the ball back and ran out the clock.
Biola held Azusa Pacific to just 23 percent shooting in the second half after the Cougars hit half of their shots in the first period. However, the Eagles were only able to hit 25 percent in the second.
Azusa Pacific was led by Gordon, who scored 15 points and had eight rebounds. Sarah Leathers addded 12 points with Michelle Bird scoring 11.
The loss does not signal the end of the season for the Eagles, though, as they head to the GSAC Tournament for the first time in four years. Biola's first-round opponent will be No. 3-ranked Point Loma Nazarene, which wrapped up the regular-season GSAC title on Saturday. The Eagles face the Sea Lions on Wednesday (Mar. 5) at 7:30 p.m. in San Diego.
