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Women's Basketball Brandon Taylor, Sports Information Assistant

Defense Delivers Again in Fourth Straight Win

Biola forces 23 turnovers with defensive pressure in a 14 point win.

Box Score CLAREMONT, Calif. --- For the second consecutive game, the Eagles played an aggressive style of stifling defense and rode a huge margin in points off of turnovers in a 66-52 win over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.

Despite the facts that the Eagles held a lead as high as 18 points and never trailed in the contest, this was a game where Biola had to score points creatively and navigate foul trouble. Khadidja Diakite, Sara Dougan and Jessica Shill were the key contributors in the winning effort: scoring at combined 21 points and stepping up with big plays at both ends of the floor.

"Our defensive energy and intensity was outstanding today," said sophomore forward Emma Newman. "[The Athenas] are taller in the post than a lot of other teams we have played, but Sara and Jessica did a great job fighting for position down low."

Biola stole the ball four times in the first quarter and put on a defensive clinic all game. In particular, the Eagles did an excellent job closing to the CMS shooters when the ball was kicked out to the three-point line. The Athenas would not reach ten points until the 6:11 mark in the second quarter and only made four three-pointers over the course of the game.

All four of the Athenas' threes came in the second quarter during a stretch where the Eagles counterpunched to perfection. After each triple, Biola had its own three-point play on the very next trip down the floor and the Eagles would hold the same the five point lead at halftime that they held at the end of the first quarter.

Diakite, Dougan and Shill definitely get the credit for maintaining Biola's advantage in the middle quarters before the team pulled away in the fourth. In quarters two and three, the trio of forwards collected 17 points and shot .500 from the field; crucial support for Biola's three highest scorers (Joclyn Kirton, Annie Park and DeMoria White), who combined for 19 points through the first 30 minutes.

But then the floodgates opened in the fourth period: Kirton, Park, and White would accumulate a collective 19 points in the final period to push the Eagles on to victory.

"Once the fourth started we really turned it on," said guard Danielle Kennedy. "We shifted to play more selflessly in the second half and I think that's the big reason we scored 25 in the last period."

After a made jumper from Corrine Bogle closed Biola's lead to six twenty seconds into the fourth, the Eagles exploded for nine unanswered points in a 68 second stretch and a 14-2 run overall to push the gap to 18 points with 5:49 left to play.

Park, White and Dougan all finished in double figures for the second game consecutively and Biola shot .417 from beyond the arc on 10-of-24 shooting to improve to 9-3 on the season.

The Eagles now get a brief Christmas break before returning to action on the road Wednesday Dec. 28 for an exhibition against NCAA Division I San Diego State.
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Players Mentioned

Khadidja Diakite

#20 Khadidja Diakite

G
5' 10"
Junior
Sara Dougan

#33 Sara Dougan

F
6' 4"
Sophomore
Danielle Kennedy

#RS Danielle Kennedy

G
5' 4"
Junior
Joclyn Kirton

#21 Joclyn Kirton

F
6' 0"
Senior
Emma Newman

#15 Emma Newman

F
6' 0"
Sophomore
Annie Park

#1 Annie Park

G
5' 5"
Senior
Jessica Shill

#51 Jessica Shill

F
6' 3"
Sophomore
DeMoria White

#5 DeMoria White

G
5' 4"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Khadidja Diakite

#20 Khadidja Diakite

5' 10"
Junior
G
Sara Dougan

#33 Sara Dougan

6' 4"
Sophomore
F
Danielle Kennedy

#RS Danielle Kennedy

5' 4"
Junior
G
Joclyn Kirton

#21 Joclyn Kirton

6' 0"
Senior
F
Emma Newman

#15 Emma Newman

6' 0"
Sophomore
F
Annie Park

#1 Annie Park

5' 5"
Senior
G
Jessica Shill

#51 Jessica Shill

6' 3"
Sophomore
F
DeMoria White

#5 DeMoria White

5' 4"
Junior
G
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