Box Score LA MIRADA, Calif. ---
Charrise Reece scored 18 points and
Adijat Adams added a 16-point, 11-rebound double-double as Biola advanced to the semifinals of the GSAC Tournament with a 65-53 victory over San Diego Christian College on Wednesday night at Chase Gymnasium.
The Eagles, who are the No. 4 seed in the GSAC tournament, improve to 21-9 on the season with their seventh-straight victory, advancing to face No. 1 Westmont in a GSAC Semifinal game on Friday at 7:30 p.m. The fifth-seeded Hawks' season comes to an end at 20-11.
In yet another close battle between these two teams, the final score was not indicative of how close the game was throughout. Biola again used a strong second-half to come-from-behind for the win, salting away the victory with free throws down the stretch to hold off a late charge.
Reece scored 18 points to give her 45 points over her last two games, adding six assists and a steal in 38 minutes. Adams picked up her third-straight double-double and eighth of the season with 16 points on 7-of-15 shooting with 12 of her points coming in the second half. She also added 11 rebounds and two steals before fouling out late in the contest.
Brittany Daniel scored a game-high 23 points and added nine rebounds and three blocks to pace the Hawks.
The game got off to a slow start with the teams combining for just 17 points through the first 10 minutes of the contest. Neither team helped a lead of more than three through much of the first half until a six-point run by San Diego Christian put the visitors on top 20-15 with 3:50 to go in the period. Biola would cut into that lead a bit, but still trailed 22-19 at the break.
The Hawks came out in the second half and took their largest lead of the game on a Daniel three-pointer 42 seconds into the period. Biola quickly responded and would take its first lead of the half at 29-27 on a three-pointer by Lauren Gustafson--the lone three-pointer made by the Eagles in the game--at the 15:53 mark. The game went back an fourth for the next four minutes until Biola started to come alive, using a 10-0 run over the next five minutes to take a commanding 45-36 lead with 7:04 left.
After the Hawks whittled the lead down to three two minutes later, the Eagles again responded with a long run, using a 9-0 advantage over the next four minutes to take a 12-point lead at 56-44 with 1:26 remaining. Things got chippy on the way down the court. Biola got the worst of things as Adams received a pair of quick technical fouls after it was deemed she retaliated against San Diego Christian's Juanita Lewis, who was initially called for a foul after tugging hard on Adams shorts while running down the court. Lewis also received a technical for the altercation but was not ejected, only fouling out due to the first common foul and then the technical.
The two teams hit off-setting free throws, but the Hawks made things interesting on the ensuing possession by hitting a three-pointer with 1:09 to go to make it a nine-point game. However that was as close as the game would get the rest of the way as Biola hit 7-of-9 from the free throw line and held the Hawks to two layups.
The Eagles continued to play solid defense--as they have all year, holding San Diego Christian to 53 points in the game. Biola also forced 18 turnovers which led to 22 points and held a 12-2 edge in fast-break points.
Biola advances to the GSAC Semifinals for the second time in the last four seasons and hopefully has done enough to earn an at-large berth into the NAIA Tournament with the win. The Eagles head to Westmont for one of two semifinal games on Friday. The other pits No. 3 Vanguard at No. 2 Azusa Pacific. The Lions dispatched of No. 6 Point Loma Nazarene 69-42 while the Cougars defeated No. 7 Fresno Pacific, 92-56. Both semifinals tip off at 7:30 p.m. The winners of the two games meet in the GSAC Championship game on Monday, March 5 at the home of the highest remaining seed.
