IRVINE, Calif. - The No. 23 Point Loma women's basketball team regained control of the top spot in the PacWest SoCal Pod with a 92-83 win at Concordia. (Feb. 12)
 
Cara Liggins had her best game of the season with 23 points on 10-of-18 shooting, including three 3-pointers. The senior guard added six rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block. Alix Henderson chipped in with 14 points and five rebounds. Kennedi Byram knocked down 4-of-5 of her shots from behind the arc and finished with 12 points. Katie Timmerman led Concordia with 28 points.
 
After an even first quarter, the Sea Lions used a 17-3 run in the middle of the second to seize control of the game. They took a 49-35 lead into halftime and extended it to as many as 22 points (71-49) with 2:49 left in the third quarter on Isabel Turk's 3-pointer. The Eagles would not go away easy on their home court though.
 
They put together a 15-5 spurt in the fourth quarter to cut the Sea Lions' lead to five (84-79) with 1:14 remaining. On the next possession, Liggins drove to the basket and hit a short jumper in the lane to push the lead back to seven. Henderson and Isabel Turk then combined to hit 6-of-6 free throws in the final 30 seconds to end any chance of an Eagles' comeback.
 
Team Records
Point Loma (6-2, 5-2 PacWest), Concordia (5-4, 4-3 PacWest)
 
PacWest Implications
The win moves PLNU a full game up on both Concordia and Azusa Pacific in the PacWest standings with five games still to play.
 
Turning Point
The Sea Lions started their 17-3 run down 27-26, and by the time it ended they led 43-30 and would never relinquish their lead again. The run lasted nearly five minutes. Kennedi Byram got it started with back-to-back 3-pointers on assists from Liggins, and it was capped off on a 3-pointer and a layup by Kylie Hearn on consecutive possessions.
 
Words from coach Lisa Faulkner
On Cara Liggins: "Cara is a leader, a competitor and she is a rock for us. She hasn't shot the ball particularly well yet this season, so finally, she got it going this game. The coaches and teammates have so much trust in her. She was in the gym during our off day to get shots up and that's the type of leader we want. One that will take control of her own game."
 
On the point guards' play: "Alix and Kylie are getting more aggressive and getting to the paint. Teams are figuring out they can't help off Alix or she will make you pay. It makes us so hard to guard when our point guards are aggressive."
 
On the importance of making free throws: "Making free throws down the stretch are huge, especially to preserve a lead so that was a great way to finish the game."
 
On the message to her team when Concordia made its late run: "The message was to get stops. We are learning to play with a lead. It's important to control tempo and to make sure we are getting stops when a team is playing with a sense of urgency. We got better today so hopefully, we can bring it again tomorrow."
 
News and Notes
> PLNU outscored CUI 16-4 on second-chance points
> Point Loma held Concordia's leading scorer, Michaela VanderKlugt, to just 11 points. She had scored 25 and 27 points in the previous two meetings
> The Sea Lions had 12 fast break points compared to two for the Eagles
> PLNU put up 92 points at Concordia after scoring just 69 there earlier in the season
> Point Loma is 4-0 when turning the ball over 12 times or less (nine tonight)
 
Next
The Sea Lions and Eagles will meet again tomorrow at Golden Gym in San Diego. This will close out the four-game season series between the teams. The game will tip-off at 2 p.m., as part of PLNU's Virtual Homecoming.