LA MIRADA, Calif. --- Despite holding separate first-half leads of 12 and 11 points and leading through most of the game, Biola could not hold off a late rally by arch-rival Azusa Pacific University, falling 83-72 in a GSAC game on Tuesday night at Chase Gymnasium.

The Eagles, ranked No. 18 in the latest NAIA National Poll, drop to 13-9 on the season and to 9-5 in GSAC play on the heels of their third loss in the last four games and just the second at home this season. The Cougars, ranked No. 9 in the NAIA, improve to 20-4 and remain atop the GSAC standings with a 13-1 mark.

Junior forward Jessilyn Conicelli paced Biola through the see-saw battle, scoring 22 points and adding eight rebounds, three steals, two blocks and an assist. Fellow junior forward Jennifer French scored 18 points an added six boards, connecting on four three-pointers in the game.

However, Azusa Pacific countered with 22 points from each Alex Moore-Porter and Briana Hall with C.J. Hill adding 18 points and five assists to the mix.

The Eagles got off to a strong start in the contest, opening up an early 12-point lead just over six minutes into the game. French hit three of her three-pointers in the first six minutes to guide the run as Biola held an 18-6 lead at the 13:36 mark. Azusa Pacific fought back, using a 16-3 run over the next six minutes to take back the lead at 22-21 with 7:24 left in the half.

After the two teams exchanged leads for a couple of minutes, Biola used a quick eight-point run to turn a three-point advantage into a 40-29 lead capped by back-to-back three-pointers by Lauren Gustafson and Charrise Reece with 2:22 to go before the half. Azusa Pacific would cut the lead to four at the half with a seven-point run of its own, then continued the run in the second half with five-straight points to take back a one-point lead.

Biola immediately grabbed the lead back, stretched it quickly up to seven and maintained the advantage over the course of the first 10 minutes of the half. However, down by four with just over seven minutes to play, the Cougars rattled off a 15-4 run to take a seven point lead paced by back-to-back three pointers by Hall. Azusa would stretch the lead to nine just a few minutes later and Biola could get no closer than five the rest of the way.

Biola shot 39.7 percent from the field, hitting 27-of-68 from the field including 7-of-21 from three-point range. However, after hitting 48.4 percent in the first half, Biola connected on just 32.4 percent in the final half.  The Cougars shot 40.3 percent in the game.

The Cougars were one of the few teams to win the battle inside against Biola, outscoring the Eagles 30-22 in the paint and holding a 46-38 rebounding edge.

Biola returns to action on Thursday (Feb. 11), taking on Chapman University in a non-conference game in Orange at 7:00 p.m. The Eagles then return to GSAC play on Saturday (Feb. 13), heading south to face San Diego Christian College at 5:30 p.m.