Box Score AZUSA, Calif. --- Biola got it first win of the season against a future PacWest peer, and its seventh win overall, in impressive fashion on Tuesday, racing to a 74-69 victory over Azusa Pacific.

"Coach Hardeman's group at Azusa Pacific always present a tough challenge so everyone's contribution tonight was crucial for us," said Head Coach Alan Nakamura.

"The advantage we had tonight in rebounds really contributed to our offensive flow and our team play with a confidence and assertiveness that helped us pull this one out when the game was on the line," said junior guard DeMoria White.

In a reversal of trends, the Eagles did most of their scoring in the first half with 46 points on 18-of-33 shooting and held onto the cushion they had built in the last two quarters to keep the Cougars at bay. The lead would peak at 14 points for Biola in the final minute of the second quarter and hovered around double digits until midway through the fourth when the Cougars made their final push.

All the members of Biola's starting five had significant impact on the positive outcome, but the Eagles deferred to DeMoria White's hot hand in the first quarter, as the junior guard went 2-for-3 from deep and collected 12 of her team's 22 points in the first 10 minute frame.

Biola scored 13 of the game's first 16 points and had an eight point lead by the end of the first.

Headed into the second, the Eagles made a crucial offensive adjustment to find the open man when the Cougars provided extra help on White's dribble. Joclyn Kirton and Annie Park made seven of their combined 10 shots for 16 points and the Eagles shot .667 as a team in the second period for a total of 24 points.

Biola needed every bit of its 12 point halftime lead when the home team began to counter punch coming out of the locker room. With five three pointers, it was the Cougars who warmed things up from beyond the arc in the third. Azusa Pacific would make two three's during its 8-0 run at the end of the third quarter to cut the Eagles lead to three.

But grit was the name of the game for the Eagles, as a team effort down the stretch made sure that there would be no reversals of fortune. Although White will get the headlines for her 34 points and her clutch layups and free throws during the final period, it was Khadija Diakite who may have saved the game for the Eagles with 37 seconds left to play.

Down by two, the Cougars forced a turnover and set the offense with a 30 second timeout. After the inbound, Diakite prevented Azusa Pacific from tying the game by scooping up a ball let loose by a Cougar guard. The big steal was Diakite's fourth of the game and forced the Cougars into fouling for the final 30 seconds.

Diakite would finish with two points, but 10 rebounds and the aforementioned four steals. Park scored a total of 18 points in the game to go alongside the solid efforts from Kirton and Tatum Brimley, who both scored seven.

Biola returns home to Chase Gym for its next game on Saturday Dec. 10, beginning Golden State Athletic Conference play against the William Jessup Warriors at  2:00 p.m.