Riverside, Calif. – A strong defensive stand, to start the second half, helped the women's basketball team to a 63-60 win over Westcliff University, on Wednesday evening. The Golden Eagles picked up their third win of the season to move their record to 3-8 on the season. Wednesday's contest was the first ever meeting between the two programs. The Warriors women's basketball team is currently in their first year of competition.

After jumping out to an 18-6 lead after the first quarter of play, the Golden Eagles saw their lead quickly disappear after being outscored 36-11 in the second quarter. Trailing 42-29 at the half, La Sierra refocused their energy defensively, holding the Warriors to just six points in the third quarter and cutting Westcliff's lead to 48-46, by the end of the quarter. The game ultimately came down to the final minutes of play with the Golden Eagles making enough free throws down the stretch and surviving a couple unfortunate turnovers to walk away with the victory.

Freshmen Maci Chen led the way with a career-high 21 points, while shooting 8-of-16 from the field, including 3-for-8 from beyond the arc. Chen also finished second on the team with eight rebounds on the night. Asia Anderson was 6-of-10 from the field to finish with 13 points to go along with five rebounds and two steals. And despite playing just 14 minutes, senior Alexis Davis contributed 11 points and six rebounds.

Arianna Sheehy also contributed to the winning effort with a game-high 10 rebounds in addition to five points, while Arraiya Perez pitched in with five points, five rebounds, and a team-high four assists.

The team will now turn their attention to #11 University of Antelope Valley. The Pioneers will visit La Sierra, for Saturday night's Cal Pac opener, scheduled to tip-off at 530pm. The Pioners enter the season as the defending conference champions. The Golden Eagles and Pioneers split their two meetings last season, with each team winning on their opponent's home floor.