LA MIRADA, Calif. – The Lewis-Clark State College women’s basketball team dug too deep of a hole in the first half and was unable to climb out as it fell to Biola University 76-65 on Friday afternoon.
Turnovers and good Biola 3-point shooting put the Warriors down 27-10 near the midpoint of the first half, but LCSC was able to battle back to within five with just over seven minutes left in the game.
The loss moves Lewis-Clark State to 1-1 on the season, while Biolais 1-0.
LCSC committed 14 turnovers and went five and a half minutes without scoring a point in the first half, while Biola hit three of its first four 3-point attempts, scored 15 points off Warrior turnovers, and had 12 second-chance points. Biola used a 14-0 run in the first half jump to a 17 point lead—the largest of the game.
If not for the Warriors free throw shooting the final score wouldn’t have been as close. The Warriors went 21-for-24 (87.5%) from the line in the game, and at one point made 14 straight free throws.
Down 39-27 at halftime, LCSC came out stronger in the second half and was able to force six and commit just four turnovers. With 7:27 left on the clock the Warriors came the closest to catching Biola when a steal by Sadie Short and and 3-pointer by Nikki DePeel made the score 60-55.
However, comeback momentum seemed to be stymied when Short fouled out of the game with just under seven minutes remaining. Biola went on to outscore the Warriors 10-1 in the following three and a half minutes.
Overall for the game, the LCSC shot 33.3 percent from the field compared to Biola’s 34.7 percent, and was outrebounded 49-41.
Warrior freshman Jasmine Stohr’s shooting touch helped the Warriors back into the game, as she finished with a team leading 16 points on 5-for-9 shooting and 3-for-5 shooting from 3-point range. DePeel finished with 10 points, four rebounds, and three assists.
Freshman Alyssa Fierro came off the bench to lead the Warriors with eight rebounds. Fierro also had a team-leading three blocks.
Biola was led by center Megann Alberts. Going 12-for-14 at the free throw line, Alberts had a game high 24 points to go with her six rebounds and four asssists. Jossilyn Conicelli led Biola with 12 rebounds—six on the offensive end.
A member of California’s Golden State Athletic Conference, Biola plays in one of the toughest conferences in the nation—Vanguard, also a member of the GSAC, won the NAIA championship last year.
Last season Lewis-Clark State dropped two games to GSAC schools, one against Azusa Pacific and one against Hope International, in its early November trip to southern California, but rebounded to win 16 of its next 17 games.
The Warriors now travel to Fullerton, Calif. for a 5 p.m. game against Hope International on Saturday.
The Warriors now travel to Fullerton, Calif. for a 5 p.m. game against Hope International on Saturday.
