The women's basketball team dropped both of their contests this week, first by falling, on the road, to #1 Vanguard University, 55-109, then dropping an 80-94 decision to Hope International University, at home. With the two losses, the team falls to 2-4 on the season. The team will return to the court for two games this coming weekend.
#1 Vanguard def. La Sierra, 109-55
Fresh off their exhibition losses to Stanford and the University of Connecticut, and an opening season, 116-35, win over Westcliff University, the Lions cruised to victory over the Golden Eagles this past Thursday evening. Vanguard jumped out to an early 31-13 lead, after the first quarter of play, and never looked back. The Lions currently hold the number one ranking in the NAIA Division I Women's Basketball preseason poll.
Arianna Sheehy and Octavia Williams were the only two La Sierra players to finish the game in double-figures, with a total of 17 points each. Alexis Davis Added eight points and a team-high six rebounds.
Hope def La Sierra, 94-80
After the first quarter of play, the Golden Eagles once again found themselves in a hole, by a margin of 31-18. By the end of the half, La Sierra had cut into the lead, with the Royals taking the 48-41 advantage into the locker room. The Golden Eagles continued to chip away at the lead, and trailed by only three points, 64-67, by the end of the third quarter. But the Royals regrouped to win the fourth quarter, 27-16, and eventually go on to win the game by a final of 94-80.
The Royals walked away with the victory despite shooting a lower percentage (43 percent) than La Sierra (48 percent). Hope did make nearly as many three-point field goals (14) as the Golden Eagles attempted (15) which resulted in a difference of 27 total points. The Royals also took advantage of 34 turnovers committed by La Sierra. The Golden Eagles did, however, win the rebounding battle by a 45-37 margin.
Four Golden Eagles starters scored in double-figures in the game. Siena Jones and Davis each scored game-highs with 23 points each. Davis rounded out the double-double with a game-high 13 rebounds, on 9-of-10 shooting from the field, and 5-of-6 shooting from the free throw line. Arraiya Perez finished a total of 13 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. Sheehy was the fourth double-digit scorer with 10 points to go along with a team-high five assists, four steals, and two blocked shots.
The women's basketball team will return home, this coming Thursday evening, when they host the College of Idaho in a non-conference game, starting at 630pm. Thursday's game will be the first ever competition between the two institutions in any sport.
