(SAN DIEGO)
Haylee Saurette hit a go-ahead jumper off the glass with 7.4 seconds remaining, lifting PLNU Women's Basketball to a 56-55 win over second-placed Concordia on Saturday afternoon.
"I am almost speechless," Head Coach
Charity Elliott said postgame. "The situations we were in, needing buckets from the sideline, from the endline. The way they executed and made plays. I am just so proud of them."
That execution came in the most important moments of the game, with the Sea Lions trailing in the final minute.
Down by three, Saurette's jumper cut PLNU's deficit to one with 39.5 seconds remaining. Point Loma then forced an empty possession on the other end to get the ball back.
The Sea Lions missed their next shot but
Maddie Mersch boxed out her defender and was fouled on the rebound, giving PLNU another opportunity.
On the ensuing inbounds from the baseline, Carreon found a cutting Saurette, who calmly banked her shot off the glass to restore Point Loma's lead, which was as many as eight in the second half.
"I just really wanted to win," Saurette said. "We were sharing the ball with 17 assists on 23 baskets. This was a team win. That was my moment to help my team and I stepped up."
On the other end,
Eiley Tippins forced a jump ball with just 1.3 seconds remaining but the possession arrow pointed in CUI's direction, meaning the Golden Eagles had one final chance to win the game.
Concordia managed a contested 3-pointer that bounced off the rim three times for what seemed like an eternity, but thankfully for Point Loma the shot didn't fall and the Sea Lions came away with their sixth-straight win.
"Their last shot hit every part of the rim," Elliott said. "I was so glad that it didn't go in because I thought the way that we played, I wanted our team to have that success."
Saurette (15 points, eight rebounds),
Ellie Turk (12 points, five assists) and Mersch (11 points) scored in double figures, while
Allie Carreon reached double digits in assists with a career-high 10.
Tippins added nine points and five boards, helping PLNU control the points in the paint by a 40-26 margin.
"Shout out to
Maddie Mersch and
Eiley Tippins," Elliott said. "I thought they both were really clutch and hit some big buckets. We got Eiley on a couple slips and Mersch hit a couple right as the shot clock went off."
Point Loma (14-12 overall, 12-6 PacWest) maintained its hold on the fifth spot in the conference standings, remaining a game behind fourth-placed Dominican with two games left to play in the regular season.
"I think we are just coming into our own," Saurette said. "It took us some time but we are finally playing the way we know how to play. We are really understanding each other and each other's games and building confidence."
PLNU will look to continue its good form with the postseason just around the corner, as the Sea Lions host third-placed Hawaii Pacific on Saturday at 6 p.m. as part of Homecoming Weekend on campus.
