PACWEST WOMEN'S BASKETBALL WEEKLY NOTEBOOK
IRVINE, Calif. -- In its lone game this week, Azusa Pacific tallied 125 points against Dominican to secure a first-round bye at the PacWest Tournament on Saturday.
PacWest Preseason Player of the Year Sandra Ikeora made her anticipated return from injury against Azusa Pacific and even scored 22 points, but the Cougar defense forced 33 turnovers and turned that into 48 points. The 125-78 victory for the Cougars broke the PacWest record for points in a single game.
Zoe March led the way with 25 points, seven rebounds, four steals and two blocks. Gina Henderson added five steals and Daylee Hanson also had four as the Cougars scored 35 points in the second quarter alone.
Speaking of 35 points, that’s all the California Baptist defense allowed in an entire game as the Lancers beat Biola 80-35 at home. Blaysen Varnadoe tallied 14 points and nine rebounds with a block and a steal as the Lancers held Biola under 20 percent shooting from the field and only six fourth-quarter points.
Amid those two incredible team efforts, one individual effort stood above the rest last week. Freshman Grace Brady from Point Loma became the third player in PacWest history to record double-digit blocks in a single game.
Brady finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocks for the first triple double this year and third triple-double in PacWest history that involved blocks as one of the three categories. Dominican’s Sarah Nelson achieved the feat twice in the 2014-15 season.
The effort resulted in a 73-48 win for the Sea Lions over Holy Names. Roya Rustamzada added a double-double of 21 points and 12 rebounds along with four assists and three steals. Point Loma is now on a five-game winning streak and is back in position to grab a spot in the PacWest Tournament.
With two weeks to go and four spots available in the PacWest tournament, there are 1.5 games separating third place from seventh place in the conference standings. In order to clinch, 13 wins is currently the number needed with teams having between three and five games left to be played.
The most important game this week for the playoff picture is on Saturday when California Baptist travels to Fresno Pacific. It is the only meeting between the two teams this year, meaning that the winner will hold the head-to-head tiebreaker. Both teams have won nine games this year, but Fresno Pacific has two more losses. The Sunbirds have won two of their last three games and proved to be a big challenge for Hawai`i Pacific last week on their home floor. California Baptist enters on a four-game winning streak, but has a 3-6 record in away games.
Point Loma has its biggest remaining test on Thursday when the Sea Lions travel to La Mirada to play Biola. The Eagles defeated Point Loma in San Diego earlier in the year, but Point Loma is now on a five-game winning streak. The Sea Lions will also host Hawai`i Hilo on Saturday for the penultimate game.
Weekly Awards for the week of Feb. 5-11
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Grace Brady, Point Loma
C, Fr., 6-3 -- Glen Cove, N.Y.
Brady recorded the third triple-double in PacWest history that included blocks as one of the categories. The 6-foot-3 freshman recorded 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocks in a 73-48 win over Holy Names. It was just the fourth time in PacWest history that a player had recorded 10 blocks and it was the second triple-double in the PacWest this year. Earlier in the week, Brady helped Point Loma defeat Notre Dame de Namur, 82-76. Brady recorded eight points, five rebounds, four blocks, three assists and two steals. Point Loma has now won five-consecutive games and is right back into the playoff picture with three games remaining in the regular season.
DEFENDER OF THE WEEK
Blaysen Varnadoe, California Baptist
F, Jr., 6-0 -- Tustin, Calif.
Varnadoe played a key role in California Baptist putting on one of the most impressive defensive displays this season in an 80-35 win over Biola last week. The junior tallied 14 points, nine rebounds, four assists, a block and a steal. As a team, California Baptist held Biola to a .190 field-goal shooting percentage. Against Academy of Art, California Baptist allowed just four points in the entire third quarter as the Lancers went on to claim a 92-62 victory. Varnadoe had 26 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and one steal. It was the first double-double for Varnadoe, who made 10 of 17 shots from the field in the win. As a team, California Baptist held the Urban Knights to a .275 field-goal percentage. The Lancers have won four games in a row and are now in fifth place in the conference.
FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Michaela Vanderklugt, Concordia
C, Fr., 6-1 -- Concord, Calif.
Last week’s PacWest Player of the Week put up strong numbers again as Concordia picked up two wins to move into third place in the conference. Against Notre Dame de Namur, Vanderklugt tallied 27 points and nine rebounds. The freshman made 7 of 13 field-goal attempts and knocked down 11 of 12 free throws in the victory. Just 48 hours later, Vanderklugt recorded a double-double against Chaminade with 17 points, 15 rebounds with two assists and two steals. She made 6 of 8 field-goal attempts from inside the arc as Concordia earned its third-consecutive win as the Eagles near securing a berth into the PacWest Tournament.