BELMONT, Calif. - After a lethargic first half, the Point Loma women's basketball team turned up its effort on offense and defense to outscore Notre Dame de Namur, 40-15, in the final 20 minutes of play to earn a 69-38 victory on the road (Jan. 5).
 
PLNU is now 8-4 on the season and 2-3 in the PacWest. The loss drops NDNU to 1-11 overall and to 0-4 in league play.
 
Madison West paced all scorers with 18 points and four 3-pointers. Alex Brunk posted her third double-double of the season with 13 points and career-high 15 rebounds. She had 10 rebounds at the half, and six of her 15 rebounds came on the offensive glass as PLNU outscored NDNU 21-6 in second-chance points. She also chipped in with four steals and three assists. Sydney Tonack added 15 points on 7-of-13 shooting, and also hauled in seven rebounds.
 
Jerusha Paine led Notre Dame de Namur with 16 points. The Argonauts were stifled by the Sea Lions' defense all game, but especially in the second half. NDNU shot just 26 percent from the field and 14 percent from long range. In the second half, the Argonauts were 6-of-27 from the field (22 percent) and just 2-of-4 from the free throw line. Point Loma outscored them 17-3 in the third quarter to open up a 23-point lead and cruised to the victory.
 
"We got a much needed win after 17 days off," said Point Loma assistant coach Dwayne Cosby. "On offense we had great ball movement. In the first half we showed some rust and mental lapses, but Madison's sharp shooting and Brunk's rebounding compensated for that.
 
"At halftime coach Westphal challenged the team to become a championship team and we came out and held NDNU to just three points in the third (quarter)," continued Cosby. "If we can compete and defend for 40 minutes, like the way we did in the third quarter, I like our chances against anyone."
 
Point Loma took good care of the ball with just 10 turnovers in the game. The Sea Lions also found their shooting stroke in the second half as they went 17-of-34 from the field, and 4-of-9 from behind the arc. This was in contrast to the 22 3-point shots taken by PLNU in the first half when it scored 21 of its 29 points from behind the arc. PLNU also won the rebounding battle for just the third time this season (48-33). Point Loma is 3-0 in games in which they outrebound their opponent.
 
PLNU will be back in action on Thursday, Jan. 7 when it faces Academy of Art at Noon in San Francisco.