The NAIA second-ranked Sea Lions avenged their only loss with a victory over No. 22 Biola Thursday evening in Golden Gym. PLNU, which suffered an 81-72 setback to the Eagles in December, improved to 19-1 overall and 10-1 in the Golden State Athletic Conference.
“It felt great,” PLNU forward PJ Hanson said of the win. “I think we came out more determined and focused than the last time we faced them. We knew we had to play tough. We were prepared well and it paid off.”
The two teams entered the night atop the Golden State Athletic Conference standings along with Azusa Pacific. The win gives the Sea Lions a little breathing room and a half-game cushion over APU and puts them a full game ahead of Vanguard and Biola.
A tough, hotly-contested game, the Sea Lions and Eagles went hard all evening. Both defenses swarmed, especially PLNU, which forced 20 turnovers that directly led to 25 points.
Amanda Franz put PLNU on the board in the first minute with a three pointer, but the Eagles took the lane twice in a row to turn it around 4-3. The teams were tied four times in the first half, but four uncontested points sent the Sea Lions into the half up by four.
The lead didn't last long, however, as the Eagles caught up again about three minutes into the second stanza. A few minutes later PLNU pulled out of the seventh and final tie with eight unanswered points - started by another Franz trey - and eventually built the lead to be up by 13 on three occasions. The Sea Lions finished 10 points ahead of the team that blemished their otherwise perfect record.
When PLNU lost at Biola on December 12, the Eagles dominated on the boards, outrebounding the Sea Lions 50-26. BU had the advantage once again on Thursday, but it was a much closer 49-41 margin. Another indicator of PLNU's willingness to play tough was the team's seven blocks.
GSAC Player of the Week, Biola's Jessilyn Conicelli, made just 3-of-14 shots for just eight total points. The Eagles as a whole were held to 29 percent from the field but stayed close due to nine threes and by PLNU's 32 shooting percentage.
Colleen Planeta and Amanda Franz teamed up for the majority of the Sea Lions' points. Planeta scored 21 points and had five blocks and three steals. Franz added 19 points, the majority coming on six from beyond the arc. Liah Ector had seven points, 10 rebounds and three steals with Kaitlyn Trotter contributing eight points and six boards.
“We are much more physical with Trotter in the game,” said PLNU coach Bill Westphal. “She didn't play last time; I think that was the difference. Biola is a very difficult team to play because there are so physical. Maybe we don't like that very much. But we picked it up tonight.”
Elise Paty led Biola (12-7, 8-3) with 15 points followed by 12 from Chelsea De Luca. Conicelli, while limited offensively, did grab a game-high 14 rebounds.
The Sea Lions will be at Hope International this Saturday for a 5:30 pm GSAC match.
