Box Score ATHERTON, Calif. --- For the 15^th time this season DeMoria White led the Eagles in scoring, for the 13^th time Sara Dougan led in rebounding and for the 10^th time the team ended up with a win as Biola took down the Menlo Oaks on the road in a tight one on Saturday afternoon.
 
The final score was 58-56, which makes it three consecutive games decided by two points. The other two outings saw the Eagles come away with the close loss, so it was a great sign of growth for the team to walk away with a come-from-behind win in this one.
 
"(Getting the win) felt really good! It was a team effort," said senior forward Taylor Casey. "Everyone put their heart and determination into it and left it on the court. We had energy on the court and on the bench. Everyone contributed."
 
Biola needed everyone's contribution in this game that almost slipped away during a very rough first two quarters. The team trailed 31-15 at the halftime break after shooting just 28 percent from the field and failing to draw a single shooting foul.
 
On the other side of the court Menlo took advantage of some blazing hot three-point shooting to build itself what seemed to be a comfortable lead. The Oaks went 5-of-8 from deep in the first half, led by nine points from their senior guard Vanessa D'Amico.
 
Like the wax on a freshly lit candle the Oaks' lead began to melt away slowly but significantly in the third quarter. After two opening baskets extended Menlo to a 20-point advantage Biola scored 10 straight points to begin to close the gap.
 
All in all the Eagles outscored the Oaks by seven in the third to go into the final 10 minutes of play trailing by only nine points.
 
White and Danielle Kennedy led the comeback effort as the pair were nearly flawless from the floor in both the third and fourth quarters, missing just three of a combined 15 shots from the floor.
 
The 9-point advantage held for the first six minutes and six seconds of the fourth quarter until a layup from Casey knotted the game at 50 and all of a sudden the Eagles were right back in a game where earlier they seemed in danger of being held to fewer than 40 points.
 
"We were confident and aggressive and never gave up," said Casey. "We are a family on and off the court and really pulled together!"
 
Pull together is exactly what the team did as both sides traded points up until the final possessions when Menlo pulled ahead 56-55 with just 28 seconds left on the clock.
 
A clutch layup from White brought the Eagles to a one-point advantage with 16 seconds left on the clock. The final possession was in the hands of the Oaks and the home team had a chance to hand Biola its third final possession loss in a row.
 
That would not be the story this time though, as some great work on defense helped Tina Esbenshade get the ball back with just over two seconds on the clock. She was fouled, made one free throw and then watched as Menlo's last-second shot never came close to hitting the basket and the team's 10^th win of the season was secured.
 
"We are very thankful for this encouraging win over a tough and talented Menlo team," said Head Coach Alan Nakamura. "I am happy to see the players come together as a team, really pull for each other, and have this experience to cap a fun and memorable trip."
 
White led the team with 24 points, followed by Kennedy with 11, Dougan with nine and Casey with seven. Dougan was one point and one rebound away from another double-double as she led the team with nine boards. The Eagles held a 37-29 rebounding advantage, which drastically helped the team in the final two quarters.
 
Biola controlled play down low as it outscored the Oaks by 20 points in the paint (30-12). The rebounding edge also gave the Eagles 16 second chance points, every single one of which mattered in this slim win.
 
Biola improves to 10-10 (3-3 GSAC) with the win and drops Menlo to 9-10 (2-4 GSAC). The Eagles are at long last back at home this Tuesday night for a conference game against Vanguard at 5:30 p.m. The game will be a Red Sea Night and all Biola fans are encouraged to wear their red.