Metro Vancouver…..The KPU Eagles women’s basketball team played two tough games this weekend but fell 68-49 to the Langara College Falcons on Friday, November 14th and 61-46 to the Douglas College Royals on Saturday, November 15th. The Eagles 2014/15 PACWEST CCAA regular season record now stands at 1-4 going into next week’s home-stand against the Island schools, which will be the final games before the holiday break.
“This weekend we couldn’t find any rhythm to our offense and on defense we needed to find more speed. If we make our lay ups and our free throws we will win games,” stated Eagles’ head coach Dan Nayebzadeh.
Game recap versus Langara College Falcons:
The Eagles struggled in the first quarter and trailed the Falcons 19-8, before they found some offensive momentum, outscoring Langara 20-10 to end the second quarter down by 1, with a score of 29-28.
Eagles’ second-year guard Shilpa Khanna, Surrey, BC scored 12 points and had four assists. Fifth-year post Samantha McPhail, Vancouver, BC was also a force for the Eagles, with six points and nine rebounds. Third-year forward Amber-Lee Kavanagh had four rebounds. The Eagles shot 38% from the line.
Leaders for the Falcons included second-year guard Julia Murray,Victoria, BC with seven points, while first-year guard Courtney Nicholls, South Surrey, BC and third-year forward Emily Rowlandson, Comox, BC tied to lead their team in rebounds with five apiece.
Third quarter saw an even closer battle between the teams, the lead changed hands multiple times. KPU came to equal footing with Langara at 42 points going into the fourth quarter, but the Falcons pulled away with the lead by outscoring KPU 26-7. Langara handed KPU their fourth loss of the season by a final score 68-49.
For the Eagles, Khanna ended the game with 23 points, four assists, and six rebounds. McPhail had seven points, two assists, and dominated with 11 total rebounds on the night. KPU shot 57% in the second half.
For the Falcons, Rowlandson finished with 16 points and 8 rebounds while teammate third-year guard Miranda Cuthbertson, Ladner, BC ended with 16 points, five assists, and six rebounds. Langara shot 69%.
Scoring:
KPU 8 20 14 7 = 49
LAN 11 17 13 26 = 68
Team Rebounds:
KPU: 20+17=37/LAN: 23+20=43
Game recap versus Douglas College Royals:
Saturday’s match-up between the Eagles and the Royals started out similarly to the Eagles game versus the Falcons the night before. The Eagles found themselves playing catch-up in the second quarter after falling behind to the home team. A 14-7 first-quarter deficit was patiently shortened to a three-point gap. The Eagles out-scored the Royals 16-12 to end the second quarter with a 26-23 edge for the home team.
KPU’s Khanna had 15 points and one rebound and teammate Haeley Williams, a third-year guard from Maple Ridge, BC, contributed five points and three rebounds. Fourth-year KPU guard Christina Brown, Langley, BC led the team in assists with three and shared the lead in total rebounds with Kavanagh at four apiece. The Eagles shot 38% from the line.
Douglas’s leading scorer at the half was first-year forward Rachel Beauchamp, Surrey, BC with eight points and four rebounds. The Royals shot 25% from the line.
The third quarter would seal the Eagles’ fate as KPU was held to only five points in comparison to the Royals’ 17. While KPU fought back in the fourth quarter to match Douglas in scoring at 18 points, the Royals would walk away with their fifth-straight win to remain undefeated this season by a score of 61-46.
Khanna ended the game with 19 points, three assists, and three rebounds for KPU. Williams had 10 points and four rebounds. Kavanagh had eight points, two assists, and seven total rebounds. KPU improved on the line in the second half, shooting 70%.
Royals leading scorer for the game was third-year forward Nanaya Miki, Osaka, Japan, with 12 points, two assists, and 13 rebounds. Third-year guard Shanice Fuoco-Guy, Coquitlam, BC had nine points and five rebounds while teammate Beauchamp ended her game with nine points and six total rebounds. Douglas shot 40% from the line in the second half.
Coach Nayebzadeh remains confident in his team early into the 2014/15 season and knows that the Eagles have the strength and resolve to get through this rough patch to remain competitive. “We are right there, we are close. We can feel it and taste it,” Coach Nayebzadeh noted, “We can compete, we know we can. We have to work hard in practice and we have to practice like we want to play.”
Scoring:
KPU 7 16 5 18 = 46
DC 14 12 17 18 = 61
Team Rebounds:
KPU: 15+18=33/DC: 24+23=47
The KPU Eagles women and men’s basketball programs are actively collecting non-perishable food items for their 2014 Food Drive in support of the Surrey Food Bank. For the last two home games leading up to the holidays, admission is no charge when fans bring that non-perishable food item to the game. Please note that no cash donations will be accepted in lieu of admission.
Remaining games include:
- November 21st versus Camosun College Chargers
6:00pm women’s game, 8:00pm men’s game - November 22nd versus VIU Mariners
1:00pm women’s game, 3:00pm men’s game
For more information on the Department of Athletics & Recreation, please contact Junelle Mah, sports information and marketing, at 604-786-0804 or at junelle.mah@kpu.ca.
The KPU Eagles Department of Athletics & Recreation enters its 14th season of interuniversity competition. The Eagles are members of the PACWEST conference and play in the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) with 100 student-athletes participating on eight varsity teams in men’s and women’s basketball, soccer, badminton and golf. KPU athletics plays its home games at the Eagles’ Nest (Surrey Campus), Northview Golf & Country Club, Newton Athletic Park, all located in Surrey, BC and the Ace Badminton Centre in Richmond, BC. The Eagles are active in the conference with staff members on various advisory committees and competing to host both provincial and national championships. The student-athletes are mainly from the lower mainland but KPU’s rosters have included student-athletes from North America, South America, Asia and Europe.
Follow the Eagles on Twitter @KPU Eagles, on Facebook www.facebook.com/KPUEagles, or on our website www.kpu.ca/eagles.