Box Score COSTA MESA, Calif. --- Playing its fourth game in the last seven games including its third against a nationally-ranked opponent, Biola ran out of gas, falling 78-55 to No. 8 Vanguard in the Golden State Athletic Conference Semifinals on Friday night at The Pit in Costa Mesa.
Biola's season comes to an end with a record of 16-17 while the Lions--the No. 2 seed in the tournament--improve to 22-3 and move on to the GSAC Tournament Finals. Vanguard faces No. 3 and top-seeded Westmont, which used a big second half to beat San Diego Christian 62-47 in the other semifinal.
A pair of freshman led the way for Biola as Aubree Mittel scored 12 points with Abby Chapman adding 11. All-GSAC selection Adijat Adams had nine points and 11 rebounds while senior Becca DeVere added 10 points, six assists, two rebounds a block and a steal in her final collegiate game.
The Eagles played well and hung with the highly-ranked Lions through much of the first half and early into the second, but ran out of gas as Vanguard outscored Biola 44-30 in the second half.
Biola's first points of the game came from Mittel, who drained a pair of three-pointers to tie the game at 6-6 four minutes in. Vanguard answered with four quick points to take back the lead and used a 10-2 run over a four-minute stretch to take a 24-13 lead with 5:20 to go in the half.
Biola used a six-point capped by an incredible, acrobatic layup by Mittel as she was fouled on a fast break. That run cut it the deficit to five at 24-19 with 4:01 before the half. But Vanguard scored the next eight points to go up 32-19 two minutes later and took its largest lead of the half at 14 with 1:43 on the clock.
The Eagles answered with a bucket by Adams and a three by Mittel to cut the lead to nine at 34-25 at half-time. Biola was without two key players in the first as Chelsea Hill and Becca DeVere each were whistled for two early fouls. DeVere played just 12 minutes while Hill played 13--both coming back into the game late in the half.
Abby Chapman drained a three-pointer to open the second half and make it a six-point game. But Vanguard would outscore 12-4 over the next 4:30 to take a 46-33 lead with 15:37 to play. Biola closed the gap a bit but a 12-2 Vanguard run over a five-minute stretch gave Vanguard a 22-point lead at 64-42 with eight minutes to play.
DeVere ended the run with a pair of free throws but Vanguard continued to pull away as the Eagles were unable to get a field goal over a seven minute stretch, during which the Lions outscored Biola 18-4.
Biola shot well from the floor in the game, especially from three-point range where the Eagles connected on 46.7 percent of its shots. However, turnovers proved to be the a killer for the Eagles as 21 turnovers led to 25 points for the Lions.
