SAN DIEGO - The Point Loma women's basketball team snapped a six-game losing skip with a 75-68 victory over non-conference opponent Cal State San Marcos on Tuesday, Dec. 9.
 
Paola Roa scored 16 points in her PLNU (2-6) debut to lead three Sea Lions in double-figures. She went 5-of-10 from the field, and added three steals. She was also a key factor late in the game as she scored 12 of her 16 points in the final eight minutes, and 12 of the Sea Lions' final 22 points of the contest.
 
PLNU fell behind 54-53 with just under eight minutes to go. It was their first deficit since early in the first half. The Sea Lions then rattled off seven straight points, capped off by a 3-pointer from Madison West, to reclaim the lead (60-54). However, Point Loma took nothing for granted and kept its foot on the pedal to the final buzzer. CSUSM cut the lead to four points (72-68) with 27 seconds left but Roa hit 3-of-4 free throws in the final 23 seconds to seal the victory.
 
"Paola is a winner and maybe the best athlete we have," explained PLNU head coach Bill Westphal. "This was only her first game; just wait till you see her with more experience."
 
Coach Westphal went 13 deep on his bench tonight, with 10 student-athletes getting in the scoring column.  West joined Roa in double-figures with 12 points and Riley Abraham came off the bench to score 10. Roya Rustamzada led the team with six rebounds.
 
"We changed our philosophy this last week and it was on display tonight," said Westphal. "We are trying to play faster, play more people, create more pressure and attack more. That is how we like to play."
 
The Sea Lions' true advantage was in their ball pressure. They forced Cal State San Marcos (0-8) into 25 turnovers, and outscored the Cougars 27-12 in points off turnovers. Meanwhile, Point Loma had just 12 turnovers which resulted in the Sea Lions getting 21 more shots in the game.
 
Point Loma will look to build on the momentum it created tonight when Azusa Pacific comes to town on Saturday, Dec. 13 for a Pacific West Conference contest. The game tips off at 2:00 p.m.
 
"APU plays a match-up zone and you have to hit some shots and drive against them," Westphal noted. "That is the philosophy we have now so I think if we stick to our plan we should be fine."