Metro Vancouver…..The KPU Eagles women’s basketball played two close-fought and competitive games on the Island this past weekend, but were unable to pull through in the end. The Eagles lost 71-59 in Victoria, BC on Friday to the Camosun College Chargers (fifth-place PACWEST), and 59-48 in Nanaimo, BC on Saturday to the VIU Mariners (second-place PACWEST).
Going into the last week of regular season PACWEST play, KPU’s record is 5-14 for sixth place in the conference and two wins ahead of the seventh place CBC Bearcats in the fight for that final playoff spot. The Eagles head to New Westminster, BC on Thursday, February 26th for a showdown with the Douglas College Royals, and then head to Vancouver, BC on Saturday, February 28th for the final regular season game against the Langara College Falcons.
Game recap versus the Camosun College Chargers, season series 2-1 for Camosun
The Eagles came out strong in the first quarter, setting the pace and out-scoring Chargers 24-8. Some of that momentum would start to fade by the half as Camosun out-shot KPU 20-9 to bring the score to a close 33-28 in favor of the Eagles.
Defensively the Eagles would fight back, out-rebounding the Chargers 45-35 but offensively they were unable to reconnect with the magic they had in the first-quarter. KPU would try to keep pace in scoring in the third with 19 points to Camosun’s 22 to maintain a 2-point advantage 52-50. However, late foul trouble and turnovers would ultimately put the game in the hands of the Chargers in the fourth. The Eagles fell 71-59.
“Against Camosun we came out really, really well in the first quarter, hit every shot. They came back late in the second quarter and we struggled in the second half with getting organized on defense and running our offense well. We lost what we started the game with and as a result we lost our identity, “stated Eagles assistant coach Jen Dudley.
Second-year Eagles guard Shilpa Khanna, Surrey, BC had a tremendous night (22 points, seven rebounds, two assists, one blocked shot, three steals). Leaders for KPU also included fourth-year guard Christina Brown, Langley, BC (16 points, two rebounds, two assists) and fifth-year post Samantha McPhail (four points, 12 rebounds, one assist). The Eagles pulled down 45 boards and shot 80% from the line for the game.
Camosun’s leaders were first-year post Ali Cooper, Victoria, BC (25 points, six rebounds, one assist, two steals) and second-year post Kelly Young, Victoria, BC (12 points, three rebounds, two assists, one steal). The Chargers had 35 team rebounds and shot 81% from the line for the game.
Scoring:
KPU: 24+9+19+7=59
CAM:8+20+22+21=71
Rebounds:
KPU: 21+24=45/CAM: 19+16=35
KPU point guard Jessica Villadiego runs the ball against VIU
Game recap versus the VIU Mariners, season series 3-0 for VIU
KPU’s tenacity and grit came out in Saturday’s game against VIU as the Eagles refused to leave the Island without a fight. Tied at 10 points in a low-scoring first quarter, the Eagles offense worked hard to minimize turnovers and fought for every possession to go into halftime with a five-point lead, 29-24 over the Mariners.
The third quarter pulled the scoring gap closer as the Eagles maintained a one-point lead going into the fourth, 41-40. The final 10 minutes had both teams exchange leads until the final four minutes of the game when VIU’s defense put more pressure on KPU to limit the Eagles to only 7 points to the Mariner’s 19. VIU won 59-48.
KPU’s offensive and defensive leaders were Khanna (15 points, five rebounds, two assists, one steal) and McPhail (10 points, 12 rebounds, one assist, one steal). The team pulled down 40 rebounds and shot 75% from the line.
VIU’s leaders were led by third-year forward Sienna Pollard, Auburn, WA, USA, (25 points, six rebounds, one assist, two blocked shots, one steal) and fourth-year guard Amanda Tapia, Lynden, WA, USA (15 points, five rebounds, six assists, one steal). The Mariners shot 80% from the line and pulled down 43 boards.
“Against VIU we got our identity back, we were every consistent. Turnovers were huge, 34 Friday and 18 Saturday, which was a huge improvement. We tried to focus on shutting VIU down on easy boards, take away those easy hoops, and we did that much better,” noted Coach Dudley, “We put together three and a half very solid quarters. We struggled scoring at the end, but otherwise did very well against a top team.”
Scoring:
KPU: 10+19+12+7=48
VIU: 10+14+16+19=59
Rebounds:
KPU: 21+19=40/VIU: 22+21=43
The Columbia Bearcats will host the 2015 PACWEST women and men’s basketball provincial championships in Abbotsford from March 5-7, 2015.
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.