SAN DIEGO – Defense has been the theme recently for Point Loma and  tonight they went all in holding Holy Names to 48 points and 28 percent shooting. The defense was anchored by freshman center Grace Brady who added her name to the PLNU record books with a triple-double consisting of points, rebounds, and blocks (14, 10, 10). Brady would swat 10 shot attempts by the Hawks including a sequence where she blocked the same Holy Names player three times on one possession. Her interior presence pushed the Hawks to take more jumpers and allowed the Sea Lions to execute their harsh half-court defense. 

While Brady anchored the defense, she was one of several Sea Lions to contribute to the offensive effort, her 14 points second on the team. Roya Rustamzada led the team in scoring with 21 points and recorded another double-double with 12 rebounds on the night. Carol Schroeder added 10 points off the bench on 4-of-5 shooting as the only other Sea Lion to score in double figures. 

This win marks the fifth in a row for Point Loma, their longest stretch of the season, and gets them one step closer to qualifying for the conference tournament. The Sea Lions look to close out the season on a win streak that can catapult them into the field as they currently sit one spot out postseason play. 

Team Records
Point Loma (15-9, 10-7 PacWest), Holy Names (4-20, 3-13 PacWest)
 
PacWest Implications
Holy Names is out of contention for postseason play and their three conference wins have them just above last place in the standings. Point Loma currently sits in fourth place in the PacWest standings but other games around the league this weekend could affect their standing going forward. 
 
The Turning Point
Holy Names made the first basket of the game but it was all Point Loma from there. PLNU scored nine-straight points after the opening basket to get a seven-point lead and didn't look back from there. 

Thoughts from Coach Faulkner
On the defense: "This was another impressive defensive performance, we have been playing great defense in our last few games. Our big emphasis has been keeping people in front of us and making them shoot contested shots. We have a very big advantage inside when teams try to drive on us, we have someone there who can block shots. If we can keep teams off of the foul line and stick with our principles, we defend very well."

On their inside scoring: "Playing three games in five days, we had tired legs and we had talked about getting the ball to the rim where we had an advantage inside. A lot of our inside baskets didn't come off of straight post-ups, though. They came off of us driving, finding open players around the rim and getting layups in transition. We did a great job of getting into the paint and not settling for jumpers or three-point shots, which helps when you have tired legs."

On Grace's triple-double: "Very impressive. To get a triple-double with blocks is very rare and it was a huge game. When she plays with confidence and stays focused she is really good. It was fun to watch."

On Roya's season performance: "Roya had another double-double tonight, and she was our other player to get a triple-double this season. She is always on the verge of that because she affects the game in so many ways."

On facing Biola next week: "It will be nice to get some good practices in this week and next week. We owe them big time, we had a big lead on them here that we let go. We need to stick to what has been successful for us in recent games. When we defend, rebound, and move the ball offensively we are a very tough team. We are playing really good basketball right now and I am excited for these last three games."

News and Notes
> Grace Brady's triple-double was the second in school history to compile points, rebounds, and blocks. 
> Rustamzada's double-double gave her 15 on the season which leads the PacWest.
> PLNU currently ranks second in the country for both total blocks and blocks per game.
> The Hawks out-rebounded the Sea Lions on the offensive glass 10-8. 
> The Sea Lions have had two players record triple-doubles this season, Brady and Rustamzada. 
> Rustamzada needs only 20 more rebounds on the season to break both the PLNU and PacWest rebounding records. 

Up Next
Point Loma will head on the road for the final time this season to face Biola next Thursday, Feb. 15, at 5:30 p.m. The Sea Lions return home on Saturday, Feb. 17, to host Hawaii Hilo at 2 p.m