Skip To Main Content

Biola University Athletics

Scoreboard

The Official Athletic Site of the Biola University Eagles

Scoreboard

Joc key

Women's Basketball Brandon Taylor, Sports Information Assistant

No. 19 Eagles in Driver’s Seat to Begin Road Trip North

Biola improves to 9-3 in Golden State Athletic Conference play with 79-62 victory.

Joclyn Kirton tied her career-high for the second time this season with 24 points against William Jessup.
Box Score ROCKLIN, Calif. --- No. 19 Biola continued its winning ways against unranked Golden State Athletic Conference teams on Thursday, using a 29 point third quarter and 13 made free throws in the second half to win 79-62 over William Jessup.

This is the Eagles second 17-point win over the Warriors this season and helps them improve to 18-6 (9-3 GSAC). Despite working extremely hard to make it a one point game at halftime, William Jessup's loss places them at 8-12 and 2-9 in conference.

The Eagles played two identical halves from the field on Thursday, knocking down five three pointers and 14 total field goals on both sides of the halftime break. But the tide of the game turned from a 33-32 game at halftime to a double-digit lead in Biola's favor with the Eagles' free throw shooting.

All 13 of the Eagles free throws dropped during the third and fourth period as the Eagles shot .722 from the line over that span.

In the meantime, the Eagles worked on the other end of the floor to put the brakes on a Warriors team that outscored Biola by six in the second quarter. During the second half, the Eagles' smart and hard-working defense limited the home team to only three free throws and one three-pointer in seven attempts beyond the arc.

"We try to recruit high-character, talented, intelligent players and you could see the fruit of who these women are as basketball players play out tonight," said Head Coach Alan Nakamura. "William Jessup is a very well-coached team and it took a total team effort to get the result we did."

Warriors forward Ashlyn Jones had her best scoring night of the year with a game-high 25 points. But the Eagles were unphased by Jones' good game because of the way Joclyn Kirton took charge at the other basket.

Kirton tied her career-high with 24 points on a ridiculously efficient 10-of-15 from the field and wrestled down four offensive rebounds in the second half. After scoring in double figures for the fourth-straight game, Kirton elevated her average points to a season-high 13.3 per game.

"This was a really good road win for us and I think we did a great job of playing as a team," said Kirton. "I love the fact that we don't have any selfish players on this team; all we care about is growing and improving as a unit. Tonight that mindset gave us a win and momentum going into a very tough matchup at Menlo on Saturday."

Following Kirton's leading effort, Biola used its customary combination of ball screens and dribble penetration to distribute open shots. DeMoria White found her shot from deep and made five three-pointers en route to 19 points while Annie Park added nine points with three shots from deep of her own.

Sara Dougan, Khadidja Diakite and Kayla Macedo also played key roles for Biola in sealing the victory. Dougan prohibited the Warriors from getting second chance points by grabbing nine boards (seven defensive rebounds). And Diakite and Macedo kept up the offensive energy as replacements, scoring eight and six points, respectively.

The Eagles play the second part of their road trip on Saturday against Menlo College. The game begins at 2:00 p.m.
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Khadidja Diakite

#20 Khadidja Diakite

G
5' 10"
Junior
Sara Dougan

#33 Sara Dougan

F
6' 4"
Sophomore
Joclyn Kirton

#21 Joclyn Kirton

F
6' 0"
Senior
Annie Park

#1 Annie Park

G
5' 5"
Senior
DeMoria White

#5 DeMoria White

G
5' 4"
Junior
Kayla Macedo

#4 Kayla Macedo

G
5' 11"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Khadidja Diakite

#20 Khadidja Diakite

5' 10"
Junior
G
Sara Dougan

#33 Sara Dougan

6' 4"
Sophomore
F
Joclyn Kirton

#21 Joclyn Kirton

6' 0"
Senior
F
Annie Park

#1 Annie Park

5' 5"
Senior
G
DeMoria White

#5 DeMoria White

5' 4"
Junior
G
Kayla Macedo

#4 Kayla Macedo

5' 11"
Freshman
G
Skip Ad

Sponsors