--- Biola Athletics' Top-20 for 19-20 countdown and competition concludes this week with another second round matchup, this time with both moments featuring Biola Women's Basketball and Point Loma. One moment is a thrilling regular season win, the other is a last-possession win in the playoffs. What's better? You choose!
Read the descriptions below and then place your votes on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook (@biolaathletics).Â
A Run To Remember!:Â
If you're looking for that turning point, statement win that set the Eagles on a certain trajectory toward the PacWest tournament and laid the groundwork for their success in March, you need look no further than the game on January 29 against Point Loma. The Eagles accomplished something no one in Chase Gym had ever seen in that building, a 32-to-0 run that gave Biola a 20-point lead headed into halftime. After working to erase a nine-point deficit nine minutes into the game, the Eagles' stifling defense nearly shut out Point Loma for the entire second quarter. It took a buzzer beater just before halftime for the Sea Lions to counter the 28 points Biola scored in the quarter with three of their own. That score snapped the 32-point Biola run. Two freshmen,Â
Madi Chang andÂ
Stephanie Lee, fittingly paced the Eagles' scoring during the big run, as both women made massive contributions to their team's winning effort against a tough team. Lee simply caught fire with 15 points on 6-for-7 shooting during the first half and perfect shooting from three-point range. Chang made four-straight free throws to start that big stretch and followed it up with back-to-back layups in the second quarter. Led by Lee's five threes and four fromÂ
Jazz Benn, the Eagles finished the game with 13 three-pointers and chipped in assists on 15 of their 24 makes to lift Biola to 10-4 in PacWest play. Lee ended the game by intentionally missing a free throw so the Eagles finished with exactly 81 points in tribute to the late Kobe Bryant, bookending a night that had begun with a prayer for those directly affected by the Jan. 26 helicopter accident.
Playoffs!:Â
Women's Basketball gave Biola a thrilling introduction to PacWest basketball postseason play with their first round game against Point Loma on March 5. Entering the game with identical 14-8 conference records, the memory of two close regular season meetings prompted both teams to prepare for a battle. This quarterfinal contest packed in just about everything you could want from a playoff basketball game, because of how well both teams played. For its part, Biola Women's Basketball was shooting the lights out from beyond the arc in the first half, because they knew how important the three-ball was in the Eagles' victory over Point Loma in January; 11 of the 12 field goals Biola made in the first half came from three-point range and Head Coach
Alan Nakamura's group would finish the game tying their season-high with 17. After going into halftime tied at 40, Biola built as much as a five-point lead at the start of the third quarter thanks to back-to-back threes from
Aysia Johnson. But Point Loma quickly took the lead back and put the Eagles in desperation mode late in the fourth quarter, down eight with four minutes left. Biola responded with an 11-3 run over the next three minutes. The Eagles tied the game on an and-one from Johnson and then recorded two big stops on the next two Point Loma possessions to hold the ball with 35 seconds left. That set the stage for the senior
Tatum Brimley to drive to the key and drop in a layup that beat the shot clock and gave the Eagles the margin they needed to win their first PacWest Tournament game.Â
First Round Results:
Jen's Big Day (48%) vs.
Larson's Big Day (52%)
Jamir Seals It (56%) vs. Down Goes APU (44%) -
MOST VOTES IN 1ST ROUND (898)
60 Minutes Win It (40%) vs.
A Run To Remember (60%)
Stunning Start (42%) vs.
Record Breaker (58%)
Second Round Results:
Mike's Moment (51%) vs. Larson's Big Day (49%)
Perfect Paige (45%) vs.
Hello, Ben! (55%)
Jamir Seals It (73%) vs. We Made It (27%)
Got 'Em! (42%) vs.
What A Capper! (58%)
See the schedule below and be sure to follow us on all three platforms to give your top moments the best chance of advancing.Â
Monday, May 11 - Second Round begins
Wednesday, May 20 - Second Round ends
Thursday, May 21 - Elite Eight matchups announced
Monday, May 25 - Elite Eight begins
Thursday, May 28 - Elite Eight ends
Friday, May 29 - Final Four matchups announced
Monday, June 1 - Final Four begins
Wednesday, June 3 - Championship matchup
Thursday, June 4 - Winner announced