Box Score (TUCSON, Ariz.) PLNU Women's Basketball held its own in a narrow exhibition loss to PAC-12 powerhouse Arizona on Wednesday night, with the Wildcats prevailing by a slim 52-44 margin.
 
"I'm really proud of how we fought and battled tonight in such a tough environment," Head Coach Charity Elliott said. "We maintained our composure and just played with tremendous poise and fearlessness."
 
The Sea Lions started brightly, leading by as many as five points with 4:41 remaining in the first quarter. In total, Point Loma led for 5:50 of the game.
 
"We had to play a bigger lineup than usual because of their size but I think our players did a great job of making adjustments, not forcing things and playing true team basketball," Elliott said.
 
Point Loma trailed by just four points at the half before Arizona outscored PLNU by eight points in the third.
 
The Sea Lions finished strong, however, winning the fourth quarter 14-10 to make it a single-digit margin in the end.
 

Final from the McKale Center.#GoSeaLions pic.twitter.com/jBrJQoETLm

— PLNU Sea Lions (@PLNUSeaLions) November 2, 2023

 
Tavia Rowell led all scorers with 19 points, shooting 7-for-14 from the field in a team-high 35 minutes. Eiley Tippins nearly joined her in double figures with nine points, while Ellie Turk (six points) made two of the team's three 3-pointers.
 
Shayla O'Neil had a plus/minus of six in her eight minutes of action, contributing two points, two rebounds and an assist.
 
"Tavia hit some incredible shots tonight for sure but I'm just so proud of how together we played," Elliott said.
 
Point Loma opens up its 2023-24 season on Nov. 10 at the PacWest/CCAA Conference Challenge, when PLNU plays Cal State San Marcos in Pomona.