LA MIRADA, Calif. --- The long break didn't seem to set back Biola Women's Basketball in any way at the outset of the season-opener against Northwest Nazarene on Saturday. Biola used a hot start to carry it to the narrowest of victories as the team dispatched the No. 24 Nighthawks in a 64-60 thriller Saturday afternoon.

"I think our players really appreciate the chance just to compete and everything that the university has done for them," Nakamura said. "The players talk about that often. It's healthy and it's good and character building. The final score is a nice bonus for them."

The Eagles put out a complete first quarter, using the three-point line to their advantage early on to build a 17-8 lead at the first break. The offense was free-flowing, the passes were crisp and the shots were all falling early on for coach Nakamura's squad in an encouraging start led by sparkplug Stephanie Lee. The sophomore ended that first period with five points.

Most of that scoring came during the first six minutes of the quarter as things began to turn a bit at the end of the period. Biola was held scoreless over the final 3:45 of the first frame. The scorelessness extended to begin the second quarter as NNU managed to work back from 17-6 to 17-10 as Biola went 1:32 into the second before Aysia Johnson cashed in some free throws to break the long scoreless streak. 

At the 7:45 mark Abigail Laberge hit the first Biola field goal in almost eight minutes when she laid in a sweet left-handed lay-up after slicing through the lane. It was great to see some prolonged production from Laberge who's been hampered with injuries throughout her BU career. Laberge would end with nine points on 4-of-5 shooting.

In the second period, Northwest Nazarene began to assert themselves a bit down low, using that physicality to pull closer, bringing the game within four at 21-17 just after the media timeout. 

The Eagles' slide continued as they went 1-for-13 over a long stretch in this period, allowing NNU to tie things up at 21-21 with 2:25 left in the frame. Stephanie Lee hit a free throw to break the scoring draught and put BU back up for just about 10 seconds until NNU struck again.

After a seven-turnover second quarter made the Eagles sweat, a big final-possession three from the senior Jazz Benn helped BU go into the break with a 27-23 lead.

The turnover bug continued to be the nemesis of the Eagles in the third quarter. Biola allowed NNU back into the game with three turnovers in the last six minutes allowing NNU to tie things up at 34.

Biola got a big three from Laila Walker just before the end of the third to extend out to a 42-38 lead. That lead would hold as NNU only managed one FT in their chance at a full final possession and BU was up 42-39 at the last quarter break. Danita Estorga had nine through the first three periods to pace the Eagles.

Four consecutive points from Benn at the outset in the fourth allowed Biola to open back up to a comfortable five-point lead at 46-41. A corner three from Estorga a few minutes later made things feel even better at 49-43 with less than seven minutes left.

However, NNU maintained its persistence and ultimately used an 8-0 run between 4:26-2:34 to get back into the lead at 56-53. Biola had two free throws at 54-53 and missed them both to make things look a bit bleak.

Thankfully, the Eagles converted their next three chances at the line and coupled that with a layup and Stephanie Lee three to flip the 8-point run immediately and reclaim the lead at 61-56.

There were three fouls called over the final 1:12, slowing things down quite a bit but allowing the Eagles to do just enough to get away with the 64-60 win.

Lee led Biola with 15 points. She was just 4-of-12 from the floor, but was an effective 5-for-6 from the line to pace Biola's effort from there. Aysia Johnson (12), Danita Estorga (12) and Jazz Benn (10) each also hit double-digits.

"It was really exciting. Playing without a mask was a lot different. A lot of the girls on the team said we could breathe easier," said Stephanie Lee. "I feel like we were a lot quicker and were able to have good endurance in the whole game."

Benn (7) and Estorga (6) led the rebounding effort as well. At the end of the day, Biola's ability to hold NNU to just 37 percent shooting made all the difference as it limited the Nighthawks' ability to make use of extra possessions they earned by winning the rebounding (37-33) and turnover (24-21) battles.

Biola improves to 1-0 with the victory while NNU falls to 0-3 following a tough Southern California road swing. The Eagles are next in action at home Friday vs. Azusa Pacific (Jan. 22).