Box Score COSTA MESA – After two games on the road to start Pacific West Conference play, women's basketball open conference play inside the Freed Center with a 54-39 win against Biola on a Saturday afternoon. The PacWest team of the week led all 40 minutes of the contest to claim their fourth straight victory and first PacWest win on their home floor. VU also earned their 50th win in the series matchup (50-29) against their old rival Biola, making the Eagles the fourth program VU has claimed at least 50 wins against. The Lions improve to 4-4, 3-0 in the league and Biola drops to 1-10, 1-3.
Halle Si'i headlined the four Lions who breached double figures in scoring. The junior had 14 points, five assists, and a season-best six steals.
Sarah Matossian marked a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Ashlin Crabtree closed the game with 11 points and tied her career-best seven rebounds.
Jaryn Madsen collected 10 points and four rebounds.
The Lions attempted a season-high 33 three-pointers and went 8-33. Though their overall shooting touch was not quite lethal over four quarters (32% 22-69) VU found other ways to be impactful. The Blue and Gold forced 20+ turnovers for the second game in a row, pressuring Biola into 22 miscues and scoring 23 points off the giveaways. The Lions also piled on season-highs in total rebounds (48), offensive rebounds (19) and steals (16).
What Happened? The first quarter was a stalemate for the opening two minutes, with
Emma Schaaf's block in the lane protecting the paint early. Matossian got the ball rolling for the Lions with a putback at the rim and Si'I buried two free throws for a 4-3 VU lead. Crabtree and Madsen, who combined for over half of VU's total three-point makes in the game, sparked a Vanguard barrage from deep, as the Lions sunk four triples and led 18-6 to finish the quarter. VU shot 40% (6-15) and 40% (4-10) from three.
The three-point precision was difficult to maintain in the second quarter and Biola's persistence in transition helped the Eagles outscore Vanguard 17-16 in the period. Nonetheless, Vanguard continued a steady flow of points, as Madsen used a screen to rip the ropes from beyond the arc. Matossian's jumper and Si'I's scraping slash to the rack put the score at 25-16 VU. Biola fought back on a 5-0 run to bring the game within four, but the Lions forced more turnovers, and an
Akilah Kubi layup with 22 seconds left put the edge at 29-21. The moment of the half belonged to Si'i, who heaved a halfcourt shot with one second left and watched it go straight through the hoop at the buzzer to make the halftime lead 32-23.
Vanguard pushed the Eagles into eight third-quarter turnovers to deflate any interest in a comeback. Crabtree connected on two of her three-point efforts in the quarter to help lift the lead to 10 (37-27). Si'I scored the final five points of the quarter with her second triple and lefty layup to bring the lead up to 15, (44-29) where it would stay for the final period.
VU's final quarter saw them shoot 36% (5-14) and win the box score narrow 10-8.
Hunter Simon scored off a jumper and Si'I's solo fast break brought the Lions to the half-century mark with 7:23 remaining.
Nyla Cabine scored the final VU bucket of the match with a potent drive down the left. It marked the freshman's first career points for the Blue and Gold and capped off the Lions' third straight conference win.
What's Next? The Lions will host a nonconference matchup against Cal State San Marcos on Tuesday, December 17, at 7 pm.
