(SAN DIEGO)
Haylee Saurette scored a season-high 27 points on her Senior Night, as PLNU Women's Basketball honored its four graduating seniors with a 77-60 victory over visiting Hawaii Hilo in the team's regular season finale.
"I couldn't have asked for a better group to come into just being all-in from day one, giving us their heart and their soul," Head Coach
Charity Elliott said of her graduating seniors. "Through some ups and downs and difficult situations, regardless of their playing time, this group right here has been all about the team and set such an incredible standard for everyone else to follow.
"That is what being a senior is, when you care about a legacy that you are leaving. They're leaving a legacy of 'the team comes first and what we can accomplish together.' They came out and got us going in the first and second half and set the tone for the rest of the team."
After the Sea Lions led by 13 at the half, the team exploded for 33 points in the third quarter to run away with the game. Those 33 points are the team's most in any quarter the past two seasons.
With the team well on its way to victory in the fourth, Elliott was able to sub her seniors out of the game to a large ovation from the home crowd.
"There are so few times I can ever remember a Senior Night going in the most perfect way," Elliott said. "Being able to honor them as they came out of the game, that just doesn't happen very often. I am very grateful they came out and did what they are able to do and we were able to honor them in the way that they deserve."
Joining Saurette in double figures was fellow senior
Madison Corder, who posted a season-high 12 points while also adding seven rebounds.
Alix Henderson nearly joined them with her eight points, while
Kylie Hearn pitched in three points, five assists and three rebounds in her final home game as a Sea Lion.
The win is the team's seventh in its last eight games to finish the season, as Point Loma (15-13 overall, 13-7 PacWest) appears to have hit its stride entering next week's PacWest Tournament.
After Concordia defeated Hawaii Pacific on Thursday, PLNU is guaranteed to be seeded fifth in the conference tournament and will face the winner of Saturday's matchup between HPU and Biola in the first round. The winner of that game will also have a 13-7 conference record but will hold a tiebreaker advantage over the Sea Lions.
"I don't think we could have asked for a better game to take momentum with us than what we had tonight," Elliott said. "I have tremendous confidence across the board with every single player of this team that when their number is called, they're going to be ready and they set that tone tonight.
"We know that now we are 0-0 going into postseason. It's win or go home. We are going to be ready mentally and physically. We are going to do everything we can to keep playing together. That is what this group just talked about – they just want to continue to be together.
"Well, you ensure that by extending your season. For us to continue that we need to come out with the same energy, focus, intensity and unselfishness which is just the trademark of this group, led by our four seniors."
PLNU's first round matchup is scheduled for Thursday in Honolulu, as the Sea Lions hope to reach the conference semifinals for the second-straight season.
